Walk Three Worlds
by 00AwkwardPenguin00
Summary: AU after The Ultimate Enemy, spoilers for Deathly Hallows. Danny is forced to move in with Vlad after the Nasty Burger explosion, and refuses to make the same mistakes twice.DFxOC, complete and revamped! CaelumFelis is now 00AwkwardPenguin00!
1. A Battle Won and Lost

Walk Three Worlds  
A Danny Phantom/Harry Potter fanfic  
By CaelumFelis  
Disclaimer: I don't own Danny Phantom or Harry Potter, or anything associated with them.

* * *

**Chapter 1: A Battle Won and Lost**

Danny heard a scream, and turning on his heel, found himself facing the Nasty Burger, the tanks of Nasty Sauce red hot, with his family, friends, and teacher still tied to the bulging metal containers. Then suddenly he was running, faster than he'd ever run in his life, and yet not nearly fast enough. He desperately reached for his ghost half, felt the rings of pure white energy form around him, then wink out of existence, his energy too low to even transform. Gritting his teeth, he pushed harder, forcing his already exhausted and abused body even faster, his eyes fixed on his family. He didn't see the block of blasted black asphalt in his way, only knew pain and despair as he fell flat on his face. He shook his head to clear it, tried to get up, but his body had had enough. It was over.

He could only watch as the Nasty Sauce tanks finally blew, taking with them everyone he'd ever loved and respected. The force of the explosion blew him through the air, clear across two blocks down the street, blinded, deafened, and helpless. He felt himself bounce across the asphalt, but he didn't feel pain anymore, and blacked out as he finally came to a stop.

* * *

"You can't take him away!"

"I was named Daniel's legal guardian in his parents' will. I am the only family he has now."

"Danny hates you! He complained about you all the time to Tucker, and now I finally see why!"

"Daniel's feelings for me are irrelevant. I am his legal guardian, I will do my duty to him to honor his parents' memories. He will be leaving with me as soon as he is released."

"You can't do that!"

"Watch me!"

Danny's eyes fluttered open as he listened to the argument. It was slightly muffled, as though the sound were penetrating through a wall. Weary, bloodshot blue eyes dragged around the white room he was ensconced in, taking in the IV drip in his arm, the plain white walls, the heart monitor and oxygen tank next to the plain white bed in which he lay.

_Damn_, he thought. _I'm in a hospital._

Then, suddenly, everything came rushing back. The C.A.T., the answer sheet, Clockwork, his future… His eyes widened as he realized what the final outcome had been. Yes, Dan was gone, sealed in a Fenton Thermos. But Danny had ultimately failed.

His parents, his sister, his best friends, his teacher… they were all gone. Forever. He probably wouldn't even see them in the ghost zone.

As Danny realized this, his heart shattered, his chest physically pained with the dark epiphany he had experienced. He was alone, completely, utterly, terrifyingly alone. The pain in his chest expanded, and tears came unbidden, but unhindered to his eyes. He let them fall, not caring who saw or heard him. He sobbed like the broken, terrified fifteen year old that he was, one who had lost his entire family (and he'd counted Sam and Tucker as such, since he'd known the two since second grade) to a stupid, stupid mistake that he could have, _should_ have, prevented.

"Danny?" A quiet, sympathetic voice asked. Danny didn't answer, face buried in his arms, which were resting on his knees, which were pulled up to his chest.

_Just go away,_ he begged silently.

"Danny…" Suddenly he felt a gentle hand lightly touching his shoulder, and he gave a start and looked up at… Pamela Manson?

The coppery haired, green eyed mother of Sam Manson, who hated his guts, hated his family, and hated that her daughter had been friends with him, was standing next to his bed, her hand oh-so-gently squeezing his shoulder and her eyes boring into his. Danny recoiled slightly, expecting hurt, anger, hatred in her gaze, but found only sympathy, regret, and love.

"Danny," she said, pulling up a chair and sitting down, her hand not leaving his shoulder and her eyes not leaving his, "thank you for trying to save Sam. I can't tell you how sorry I am for the way Jeremy and I treated you and your family, especially after hearing what had happened. Sam was right for choosing such a brave and heroic friend."

Danny gulped and looked at his knees again. "I'm not a hero," he rasped quietly, his voice practically gone with the number of times he'd used his Ghostly Wail in the past twenty four hours. "What kind of hero lets his family and friends die? I just sat there and watched Sam die, Mrs. Manson. You should hate me now more than ever, and I totally deserve it."

He gasped as her arms wrapped around him, squeezing him as gently as she could but still aggravating his numerous injuries.

"No, Danny," she said as she gently stroked his hair. "You did everything you possibly could to save them. You have nothing to blame yourself for."

"Pam's right, Danny," another voice said, and Danny saw through his tears Jeremy Manson, Sam's father. He walked over to the bed and sat down next to the nonplussed halfa, resting a hand on Danny's shoulder. "What happened to Sam was an accident, a horrible, horrible accident, but an accident just the same. You did nothing wrong, and there was nothing you could do to save her, even though you tried so hard. And we're grateful for your effort, Danny, more than we could ever say."

Danny looked from one former parent to the other, sky blue eyes brimming once more with tears, before breaking down again and burying his face in Pamela's shoulder, sobbing harder than he ever had before. Pamela gently rocked the distraught halfa in her arms, humming an old niggun her father had taught her that had always put Sam to sleep, no matter what mood her daughter had been in. Jeremy kept his hand on Danny's shoulder, offering what comfort he could.

After a long, long time, Danny's sobs slowed down, and eventually ceased, as he passed out again from exhaustion. Jeremy stood back as Pamela tucked the boy in, brushing his ebony bangs from his eyes and placing a motherly kiss on his forehead.

"Stay strong, Danny," she whispered gently. "Sam would be proud of you."

"No matter what you think, son, you'll always be a hero to us," Jeremy added, gently tousling Danny's already messy black hair.

The childless parents silently left the room, arms wrapped around each other as tears streamed down their cheeks.

* * *

The next time Danny woke up, he found Eileen Foley, Tucker's mother, knitting in the chair Pamela had sat in while the Mansons were visiting. He stared at her for a minute, until she happened to look up and saw that he was awake.

"Danny!" She gasped, dropping her knitting. She grabbed his hand and smiled at him. "How you feeling, sugar?"

All Danny could do was blink. Why wasn't she screaming at him, demanding to know why he hadn't saved her son, who'd been like a brother to him? Demanding to know why he let Tucker die? Instead, he got an obviously relieved Eileen, who had been sitting calmly beside him as he slept, _knitting_ for G-d's sake!

"Confused," he finally answered, his voice still raspy and subdued, looking down at his blankets. "How do you not hate me for letting Tucker die? _I _hate me. I killed my best friend, Mrs. Foley, your son. How can you still smile at me like I'm actually worth it?"

"Oh, sweet pea," crooned Eileen, gathering up her knitting and placing it in the tote bag at her feet before engulfing Danny in an enormous hug. "Don't you ever think for a second that any of this was your fault, you hear? You tried your best, sweetie pie, and I know that means you're worth a smile. And Danny, I love you like you're my own son, too, and I could never, _ever_ hate you, 'cause then I'd be hating my own flesh and blood. You remember that, Daniel Martin Fenton, you hear?" She held his chin in her hand and oh-so-gently forced him to look at her. "You hear?"

He nodded slowly, unable to bring himself to smile, feeling like he'd never be able to smile again, as tears once again began building up in his eyes. Eileen held him, much like Pamela had, as he once again sobbed his grief and self-hatred and pain.

"Just let it all out, honey bun," she soothed, rubbing his back while avoiding his bandages and putting too much pressure on him. "Don't keep the hurt in, 'cause then it'll just keep hurting. Let it out."

And let it out Danny did, as he cried himself to sleep for the second time that day.

* * *

A few days later, Danny was healing, but still weak. His voice was back, but rarely used, as he spent his days in a shocked, mournful silence. The only time he spoke was with the Mansons and the Foleys, and even then it was more along the lines of single, monosyllabic word sentences. The childless parents were understandably concerned, but knew that Danny was grieving in his own way, trying to come to terms with his massive loss.

On this particular day, Danny was staring out the window in his usual bleak silence when the last person in both worlds he wanted to see entered his hospital room, followed by a lawyer and the Mansons and Foleys.

"Ah, Daniel," Vlad Masters purred, giving the boy an oily, malicious smile. "Nice to see you, even if this isn't the best of circumstances. You're looking well, little badger, all things considered."

Danny stared at him, eyes wide and wild. _What is _he_ doing here?_ He thought, panicked. He glanced at the Mansons, who glared openly at Vlad, and the Foleys, who looked angrily protective, and caught the eye of Eileen, who immediately swooped in and gathered the thin, haggard teen in her arms.

"Don't worry, sugar, we're not going to let him do anything to you," she whispered to him, as he huddled, trembling, against her. "You're not going anywhere with him, not if we can help it. Pamela," she addressed Mrs. Manson, "where's that big shot lawyer you said you were gonna get?"

"He's on his way," Pamela replied, never taking her sharp green eyes off of Vlad.

"Why should you need a lawyer, Mrs. Manson?" Vlad asked innocently. "It's just a simple will reading. You won't need lawyers until afterward." His smile turned predatory, but Mrs. Manson didn't even flinch. She glanced at Jeremy and Maurice Foley, Tucker's father.

Maurice crouched next to Danny and Eileen, fixing the teen with the same soft green eyes that Tucker had had. "Danny, your parents left a will, a list of instructions of what to do if anything ever happened to them," he explained to the halfa, his voice soft and gentle. "We're going to read it now, so that Eileen, Pamela, Jeremy, and I know what to do to make sure that you're safe and happy. You're going to have to listen to it too, so that you know what's going on and what's going to happen. It'll be hard, but it'll be over soon. Okay?"

Danny nodded, and Maurice smiled at him and tousled his hair before standing up straight next to Eileen, one hand on her shoulder, facing Vlad and frowning at the older halfa. Pamela sat next to Eileen and Danny on the bed, and Jeremy flanked her.

"Shall we get started?" Vlad said happily, cheerfully ignoring the glares being sent his way. "Mr. Harvey, if you please."

The lawyer cleared his throat and began to read.

_Last Will and Testament of Jack Robert Fenton and Madeline Katherine Fenton_

_We, the undersigned, hereby leave our children, Jasmine Colleen Fenton and Daniel Martin Fenton, in the care of Mr. Vladimir Harrison Masters, a close family friend, in the event of our deaths or absences, until Jasmine comes of age (18), at which time she may take custody of her brother until he comes of age (18). If for any reason Jasmine is unable to care for Daniel when she comes of age, he is to remain with Mr. Masters until he comes of age. When Jasmine comes of age, she may claim her inheritance, consisting of our house in Amity Park, Illinois, and a trust in her name. She may also become the custodian of Daniel's inheritance, a trust in his name, to be transferred to him when he comes of age. In the event that Jasmine is unable to claim her inheritance, the house and her trust both fall to Daniel, to be claimed when he comes of age. _

_We would like to extend our gratitude to Mr. Masters for his friendship over the years, and wish him all the best. Jazz, Danny, please remember that we will always love you, even if we're not around to show it. Keep your heads high, and don't be ashamed of who you are._

_ Signed, _

_Jack Fenton_

_Maddie Fenton_

_December 23, 1990_

The lawyer finished reading, and folded the will up and tucked it into a jacket pocket.

"Mr. Fenton, in the will it states that you are to be placed in the custody of Mr. Masters until you reach the age of eighteen," he said, his voice dry, bland, and obviously uninterested. "That means that until that age, Mr. Masters is your legal guardian. You are to live with him until then. Do you have any questions?"

Danny shook his head, keeping his gaze fixed on his hands in his lap.

"_I_ have a question, Mr. Harvey," Pamela announced haughtily. "Would it be possible for Mr. Masters to transfer his guardianship to someone else? Or would someone have to sue for custody of Danny?"

"I'm sorry, ma'am, but the Fentons' will explicitly states that custody of Mr. Fenton goes to Mr. Masters until he is of legal age," Mr. Harvey replied.

"And I assure you, Mrs. Manson, that if you try for a custody battle, you will lose," Vlad said, grinning maliciously. "And besides, I believe that young Daniel has had enough trauma in his young life to last a very long time. A custody battle like the one I foresee would only make matters worse."

Pamela, who had opened her mouth to argue, blinked and closed it again. She shot a glance at Danny, still injured and obviously in no condition to go through a trial, either physically or mentally. Jeremy and the Foleys looked at her, and when she met their eyes, she realized with a sinking heart that they were thinking the same thing. She clenched her teeth in frustration and glared daggers at Vlad. She now knew why Sam had hated him so much, the few times they had been at one of the Manson family dinner parties together.

Danny, for his part, knew that Vlad had won, and immediately felt sorry for the Foleys and the Mansons. They were trying so hard to help him, but there was nothing they could do. It was yet another item to add to the list of things that were his fault.

"I believe we're finished here," Vlad smirked, and with a short, mocking bow to the women, a nod to the men, and a broad, absolutely evil grin at Danny, swept out of the room, quickly followed by the lawyer.

As soon as Vlad had left, Danny's tension did as well, and he slumped bonelessly against Eileen, mentally and physically exhausted.

"Danny, you should try to rest," Eileen said quietly, tightening her arm around the teen. "You're still healing, and you need your strength, sugar."

Danny didn't argue; his injuries were making their displeasure known, and he could barely keep his eyes open. He resettled himself, lying on his side to avoid putting pressure on a broken shoulder blade, and closed his eyes, sleep whisking him away from the pain and heartache almost instantly.

* * *

Three weeks later, Danny was released from the hospital, the only signs of his battle with his future self being the various scars that decorated his body, and the sling in which his arm was encased to keep his still healing shoulder from moving. He leaned gingerly against a support pillar outside the hospital, his normal cheerful white and red t-shirt replaced with black, and his eyes fixed on the ground. Pamela and Jeremy stood in silence on each side, trading glances while they waited for the limo that would take them, Danny, and the Foleys to the cemetery for the Fentons' and Sam and Tucker's funeral. After that, Danny would be off to Wisconsin with Vlad.

The limo pulled up, and the driver jumped out and solemnly opened the door. Danny climbed in mutely, followed by the Mansons. The door closed again, and a few seconds later, the vehicle moved forward.

"Your stuff's all packed, honey bunch," Eileen said to Danny, trying to fill the pain-wracked silence in the limo. "Everything you can't take with you now's been put in storage, including all of your parents' inventions and equipment." She paused, glanced at the window that looked into the driver's cab, and leaned in a bit closer to Danny. "I packed a backpack of as many portable ghost weapons as I could find for you, just in case. You got a few Fenton Thermoses and some other things that I didn't recognize, but that I thought would be useful. I have it here, if you want to look through it." She grabbed the green backpack that had been sitting on the floor next to her feet, and handed it to Danny, who opened it one-handed and gaped. Eileen had unknowingly packed a fantastic arsenal of ghost weapons: three Fenton Thermoses, his mother's Fenton Machete, his father's Fenton Fisher, at least five ecto-blasters, including the Fenton Lipstick and Fenton Wrist Blaster, the Jack-o'-Nine-Tails, _three_ Specter Deflectors (Danny hadn't been aware that his parents had made more after the DALV fiasco), and the Boo-merang. He looked up at Eileen, speechless.

"Something wrong, sugar? Did I get the right things?" Eileen asked, worried by the look on his face.

"N-no, no, t-this is p-perfect," Danny stammered, astounded that she'd been able to assemble such a cache without any knowledge of his parents' inventions. "How'd you know what to get?"

"Tucker had a list of all the inventions your parents had created, and what they did, and their results in field tests," Maurice answered quietly. "He even had pictures of what the inventions looked like. We used that list to pack that bag for you. He also had a file on his computer labeled, "DTSEyesOnly", and it was so encrypted that we couldn't open it. We ended up putting it on a flash drive for you." He handed Danny the flash drive, which he took, studying it for a second before slipping it into the backpack. He could only imagine what was on that drive for it to be labeled for his, Tucker's, and Sam's eyes only.

"Thanks," he murmured.

"Danny," Pamela said, looking nervous. Danny turned curious blue eyes on her, but she lost her nerve, and Jeremy wrapped an arm around her shoulders and continued.

"Danny, with Sam… gone, we don't have an heir to the Manson family fortune," he said quietly. "Neither of us have any siblings, or any other living relatives besides my mother. And we're not expecting to have any more kids, although there's always a chance… Anyway, we've decided that if we don't have any more kids between now and our sixtieth birthdays, we're going to name you our heir. You were our daughter's best friend, and Sam loved you very much. We want to honor her memory by naming you our heir. We trust you to handle the family money considerately and sensibly, just as Sam would have."

Once again, Danny was struck dumb. He'd had no idea that Sam's death had made such an impact on her parents' view of him. Forget not hating him, _never_ in his wildest dreams had he imagined something like this!

"T-thank you, M-Mr. and M-Mrs. M-Manson," Danny spluttered, "I-I can't t-tell you h-how h-honored I-I am t-that y-you're t-trusting m-me w-with t-t-this. T-thank you s-so m-much."

Pamela hugged Danny tightly, making the boy gasp as his broken shoulder blade twinged painfully in protest.

"It was nothing, Danny," she whispered. "We made the obvious choice, and it honestly feels like Sam is smiling at us from heaven and telling us that we did the right thing. I know you'll do wonderful things with it."

Danny swallowed the huge lump in his throat, and nodded. Suddenly, the limo stopped, and the door opened. The Mansons exited, then Danny, followed by the Foleys, all straightening and dusting off their black mourning clothes before marching up the small hill to the huge granite statue at the top. The statue was adorned with the busts of Jack, Maddie, and Jazz Fenton, Tucker Foley, and Sam Manson, all grinning happily.

_If they weren't made of stone, I'd have thought they were alive,_ Danny thought morosely. His gaze dropped down to the inscription on the pedestal of the statue: "Gone, but Not Forgotten".

_How can I _ever_ forget them?_ Danny wondered, as the priest began to speak. When he finished the prayers for the Fentons and Tucker, a rabbi took over and said prayers for Sam, whose family was Jewish. Four urns held the remains of the Fentons and Tucker, while a simple pine box held the body of Sam, per Jewish tradition. Danny watched with silent tears as one by one his family and friends were lowered into the ground around the memorial, starting with his father in an orange urn (reminding Danny of his dad's favorite jumpsuit), his mother in a blue urn (reminiscent of his mother's favorite jumpsuit, as well), Jazz in a turquoise urn (her favorite color), Tucker in a yellow urn (his favorite color), and finally Sam in the pine box. Feeling like a robot on autopilot, Danny shoveled a small bit of dirt into each hole, the pain in his chest that he'd felt the first time he'd realized his family was gone returning worse than ever before. He wandered away as the rest of the mourners (a surprising amount, including members of the school A-list, who under normal circumstances wouldn't have been caught anywhere near Danny and his friends) slowly filled in the holes where his family and friends had been laid to rest. He stayed away until everyone eventually left, until only the Foleys, the Mansons, and Vlad remained, standing down at the foot of the hill by the limo.

Danny moseyed back to the monument, refusing to look at the freshly filled holes around it, and focusing only on the faces presented by the statue.

"I don't know what I'm going to do without you guys," he murmured brokenly, clenching his fists in emotional agony as the pain in his chest increased yet again. "Who's going to yell at me to do my chores and my homework? Who's going to remind me not to abuse my powers? Who's going to be my partner in _Doomed_? Who's going to keep me from going insane from the pressure at school and the hate from everyone in town?" He took a shuddering breath. "I can't imagine life without you, all of you. Mom, Dad… I keep thinking that I'll come home and find you guys in the kitchen or the lab, testing out some crazy invention that'll either work brilliantly or completely destroy the place, and fighting off mutated food and ghosts and psychotic billionaires like it's as normal as breathing. Jazz… I'd give anything right now to listen to one of your stupid psychology lectures, to have you tease me and laugh at me and hug me when I really, really need it, even if I snarl at you for doing it. Tucker… man, this is going to sound really corny, but it feels like a huge chunk of me's been ripped away, because you're not here anymore. You're not destroying my eardrums with your terrible singing, you're not helping me play pranks on Dash and the other football players, you're not doing goddamn _magic_ with that stupid PDA… you're not here, Tucker, and it hurts so much. Sam… Sam… I never thought we'd ever be separated, much less torn apart like this… oh, Sam, I'm sorry, I'm so, _so_ sorry… I was an idiot… a complete, bumbling idiot! I should've listened to you, Sam, I know that now. You were right. You're always right… I should never have taken that stupid answer sheet… and now you're gone… Sam… I miss you so much it scares me. It really, really scares me, and I… oh, I hate myself, Sam, I really do, but I feel like it would be better if I'd never met you than be in this much pain… and yet I'm terrified that I _will_ forget you, forget what you look like, the sound of your voice, how you stood up for everything and never let anyone tell you what to do and what to believe in. It hurts to remember, and at the same time I'm scared to forget." Danny fiercely wiped his face with his good arm, clearing his eyes of the tears that were building up. He sighed; trying in vain to release the now blinding pain in his chest, pain that he knew wasn't from any injury he'd received at the hands of his future self. Sighing again, Danny slowly got up from where he'd fallen onto his knees during his monologue, and backed away, not wanting to leave but knowing that he had no choice.

"I swear to all of you, Mom, Dad, Jazz, Tucker, …Sam, that no matter what, no matter how miserable and depressed and lonely I am, no matter how angry and hurt and abused I feel, I will never, _ever_ turn into that monster of my future," Danny vowed. "I swear on my powers, my life, my soul, that I will do everything and anything I can to keep from becoming _that_. I won't dishonor your memory by turning into him. You have my word, both as Daniel Martin Fenton, and Danny Phantom, for whatever measly amount that it's worth. I love all of you, and I'm going to miss you all like crazy. Goodbye…"

A warm summer breeze drifted through the silent cemetery, playing with the leaves in the trees and teasing Danny's shaggy, unkempt raven hair. It may have been his imagination, but he could have sworn that he faintly heard his family and friends calling to him.

"_Goodbye, Danny. We love you…"_


	2. Danny in the Lion's Den

Walk Three Worlds  
A Danny Phantom/Harry Potter Fanfic  
By CaelumFelis  
Disclaimer: I don't own Danny Phantom or Harry Potter or anything associated with them.

* * *

**Chapter 2: Danny in the Lion's Den**

"_The three o'clock Northeast Express to Green Bay, Wisconsin, will be arriving at Platform 53 in five minutes. Repeat, the three o'clock Northeast Express to Green Bay, Wisconsin, will be arriving at Platform 53 in five minutes. Thank you."_

_Thank _you, Danny thought sourly, rolling his eyes. He tightened his grip on his two backpacks (the blue one he had originally packed and the green one Eileen Foley had given him with his ghost fighting equipment in it) and his duffel bag, and wished for the fiftieth time that his shoulder would hurry up and heal so that he could use his other arm.

Vlad sat next to him, his nose buried in a newspaper. Danny had scooted as far away from the older halfa as possible, once ending up on the other end of the uncomfortable train station bench, but a glare from said older halfa had made him slink reproachfully back next to the man. So far, that had been the only time Vlad had acknowledged his existence since leaving the cemetery earlier that day. Danny had a sinking feeling that this was going to change the moment Vlad set foot in his tacky gold and green castle. The crazy Cheesehead was probably planning his first brainwashing session as he read.

Danny watched the people in the train station, wondering if Vlad would notice if he simply disappeared into the crowd. His shoulder twinged and he immediately dismissed the thought. No, he was in no condition to run away now. He still tired easily, and his right arm was useless with his shoulder bound up. He wouldn't last a week.

"_The three o'clock Northeast Express to Green Bay, Wisconsin, is now boarding on Platform 53. Repeat, the three o'clock Northeast Express to Green Bay, Wisconsin, is now boarding on Platform 53. Thank you."_

Danny sighed, stood, and shouldered his three bags. Vlad stood as well, folding up his newspaper and tucking it daintily into an inner pocket in his suit jacket. With a disdainful sniff, he stuck his nose in the air and led Danny through the crowd and onto the platform, where he made a beeline for the Deluxe Business Class car. Inside, Danny gaped at the luxurious accommodations, wondering how much dough Vlad had blown on a three hour train ride. Vlad saw the dumbfounded expression on Danny's face and smirked, looking like the cat that ate the canary.

"You could get used to this, Daniel," he practically purred, striding down the aisle like he owned the entire train. "Whenever I travel by train, I _always_ ride Deluxe. Window seat?"

Danny wanted to object, an aisle seat meant a quick exit if needed, but looking at the danger behind the genteel smile, he knew that he wasn't being offered so much as commanded to take the window. Nodding dejectedly, he let Vlad stow his duffel bag in the overhead shelf and slumped down into the plush seat, wincing as he jarred his bad shoulder. Vlad settled next to him and took out his newspaper again, apparently intent on ignoring Danny for the remainder of the trip. Danny himself was perfectly content to do the same to Vlad, and so put on his headphones and turned on his mp3 player, turning to stare out the window as the train pulled out of the station, and slowly left the only home he'd ever known behind.

* * *

"Welcome to your new home, Daniel," Vlad cackled as he and Danny phased through the front door of Vlad's enormous castle, the older halfa not bothering to unlock and open the door. Danny ignored him as he carefully scanned the large entrance hall. Packers memorabilia displayed in museum quality cases lined the walls to his left and right, and a huge, sweeping staircase placed itself prominently in the center of the room, the old Wisconsin Dairy King's portrait still hanging on the wall at the top. Doors lined the two corridors on either side of the staircase, branching off to different parts of the castle. Danny noted with a smirk that Vlad still hadn't hired an interior designer: the hall still had its garish gold and green paint job.

_Nice to know that at least_ some_ things don't change,_ he thought ruefully.

"Bartholomew!" Vlad called, clapping his hands and transforming into his ghost half, Plasmius. Danny's ghost sense went off, but he ignored it, knowing that it was only Vlad.

A butler appeared seemingly out of nowhere, and Danny could see by his corona of green ectoplasm that he was one of those kinds of ghosts who were tied to the physical world by some obsession or fixation they'd left behind. This one obviously couldn't give up on being a butler, and though he looked like a harmless old man, Danny didn't want to know what it was on his résumé that had caught Vlad's eye.

"Yes, Mr. Masters," the butler asked, bowing deeply.

"Bartholomew, show young Daniel to his room," Vlad commanded, gently and elegantly lifting off the ground. "I will be in my laboratory. I do not wish to be disturbed."

"Yes, Mr. Masters," Bartholomew replied mechanically, bowing again, as Vlad disappeared through the floor.

"Come, Master Daniel," the spectral butler commanded, phasing Danny's duffel bag and blue backpack out of his grip and turning towards the huge staircase.

"Danny," Danny corrected automatically. Bartholomew glanced at him over his shoulder, and Danny was surprised to see a small smile on the elderly ghost's face.

"Master Danny," he confirmed, nodding at the halfa. "You may call me Barth."

"Barth," Danny echoed, nodding as well.

_Well, that makes at least two semi-friendly ghosts in this damned castle,_ Danny thought, wondering where the Dairy King was as Barth led him upstairs. And up more stairs. And up even _more_ stairs, until they came to a door at the end of one of the halls in the uppermost floor, which Barth didn't even bother to open, but simply phased through without a thought, followed by Danny. Then they went up even more stairs, but this time Danny noticed that they were going in a spiral. They finally stopped at a single door at the top of the stairs.

"Your room, Master Danny," Barth said with a bow. Glancing nervously at him, Danny opened the door, stepped inside, and gasped.

The room was huge, and circular, painted the summer day sky blue that his room at home had been. All of his posters from his old room had been removed and put up here, along with his model rocket ships and solar systems, and supplemented by professional reproductions of photographs of the planets and stars and galaxies taken by the Hubble Telescope. A huge bookshelf sat to his left, full to bursting with not only his own astronomy books, but hundreds more, as well. He noticed a metal spiral staircase to his right, leading up to a ledge jutting out of the cone-shaped ceiling, where an amazing looking telescope stood facing a huge, plate-glass window.

"Oh my G-d…" Danny whispered.

"You approve, Master Danny?" Barth asked, coming to float next to the stunned teenager.

"Who… who set this up?" Danny asked numbly, dropping his green backpack to the floor carelessly in his shock.

The ghostly butler smiled. "Why, myself and the other servants, of course," he replied proudly. "Mr. Masters gave his express orders to do whatever it took to help you feel at home here. A couple of the servants and I went to your old house in Amity Park to see what your old room looked like and what you liked, and this morning we collected all of the things you'd left behind to put in storage and brought them here. Does this meet with your approval, Master Danny?"

Danny felt like dirt, Barth and the "other servants" had outdone themselves to make him feel comfortable and at home, but even though the room was fantastic, he had no desire to be in the same state as Vlad, much less the same building.

"It's… it's incredible, Barth, thank you… but…" Danny stopped, too ashamed and embarrassed to go on.

"Master Danny," Barth's quiet, elegant voice was gentle, but firm, and Danny looked at him. "I have been tasked by my employer to help you feel as comfortable and at home as I can," he said seriously. "If you are more comfortable anywhere else, even outside of Mr. Masters' influence, you need only to say the word, and I and the other servants will do everything in our power to arrange it for you."

Danny looked at the ghost incredulously. _Is he seriously offering to help me run away?_ He wondered.

Barth smirked darkly at the boy. "Master Danny, I know that my employer is somewhat… unbalanced," he said, his voice dropping into a whisper. "And I know how valiantly you fought to protect not only your old home but the ghost zone as well from the evil that his deeds had unleashed upon them. Such a heroic soul as you has no place in a lion's den of evil such as this. If it is your wish, I would happily attempt to enable you to leave. I know all of my employer's tricks, and it would be child's play (if you'll excuse the expression) to arrange it so that you would have a decent head start."

Danny blinked, shocked once again. Then, out of nowhere, he tackled the old butler in a one-armed hug around his spindly waist, ignoring how cold the ghost's ectoplasmic body was.

"Thank you," he said quietly, his voice cracking with relief as he buried his face in the butler's suit. "Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you."

Barth almost phased out of the boy's grip in surprise, before a gentle smile crossed his face and he wrapped his arms around the teen as well.

"You are quite welcome, young master," he whispered. "You are quite welcome."

* * *

Vlad sat in his favorite chair in his laboratory, watching clips of Maddie Fenton on the new holo-screen he'd invented and nursing a tall glass of whiskey. Most of the clips he viewed had been collected via tiny surveillance robots he had been testing ever since his twenty year college reunion, when he'd discovered that her son was another victim of Jack Fenton's imbecility. The robots worked flawlessly, their audio and video reception better than most modern digital camcorders, and yet he'd resisted giving them to his company to mass produce, simply because it was really the only way he could enjoy his precious Maddie without detection, either by her many marvelous inventions, or by Daniel's irritating Ghost Sense.

As he watched his Maddie embrace her son on his fifteenth birthday, both blissfully unaware of the tragedy that would befall them in the coming months, he felt a coil of remorse. Yes, one of his ambitions, to have the only other ghost-human hybrid for his son, had been realized, but it was at the price of his other ambition, to have Maddie Fenton as his wife.

Maddie, beautiful, brilliant, wonderful Maddie… his heart, which had long remained dormant and cold, ached with the thought of her fate.

_If _I_ of all people feel this way, I can only imagine the suffering Daniel is experiencing right now,_ he thought grimly, before a malicious smirk crossed his face. _Finally, the boy will be under the guidance of a _real_ father, and fully realize his _true_ potential as a half-ghost. He will cease to remember stupid, bumbling Jack Fenton as his father, and instead worship _me_ in that idiot's place._

* * *

Danny kept his eyes on his plate, pushing the food on it around. At the other end of the long table, Vlad was eating heartily, practically humming to himself as he read another newspaper. To be honest, Danny thought the older halfa was far too cheerful, and warily wondered if Vlad had slipped something into his dinner and was eagerly anticipating the results.

He glanced at Barth, who was floating over by the kitchen door, waiting for the pair to finish with their meal. Catching the teenager's eye, he swiftly flew to Danny's side.

"Do you find your supper satisfactory, Master Danny?" He asked.

"I just have a question," Danny said nervously. "I was wondering… are there any mushrooms in this?" He gestured to the Shepherd's Pie on his plate. "'Cause y'see, I'm allergic to mushrooms, they make me all sick to my stomach and stuff." He looked Barth in the eye, flicked his gaze to Vlad and back, and gave the ghost a meaningful look, hoping that the butler would catch his hint.

Barth blinked for a second, then realized what Danny meant. "I am not entirely sure, Master Danny," he said, "but I will be happy to consult the cook about it. One moment, please."

Danny nodded gratefully, and Barth disappeared into the kitchen.

"I wasn't aware that you were allergic to mushrooms, Daniel," Vlad said nonchalantly, easily covering up his surprise. He thought he knew everything about his rival/son.

Danny nodded. "Yeah, they make me really, really sick," he said, crossing his fingers under the table.

Vlad studied him for a second, but Danny had become terribly good at lying through his teeth, and he met the man's dark blue eyes squarely, as though daring him to protest the validity of his statement. Vlad shrugged and went back to his meal, and Danny uncrossed his fingers.

A waft of cold air indicated Barth's return. Danny turned to the ghost expectantly, hoping for the best, but bracing himself for the worst.

"The cook has assured me that there are no mushrooms of any kind in tonight's meal, Master Danny," the old man said, looking at Danny meaningfully.

Danny nodded, relief written plainly on his features. "Thanks, Barth," he said, and tucked into the Shepherd's Pie. "Mmm… my compliments to the chef," he said truthfully.

Barth smiled. "I am pleased that you enjoy it, Master Danny," he said happily. "And I will pass along to the cook your compliments and the warning not to use mushrooms of any kind in the future."

"Thanks a lot, dude," Danny said, his mouth half full of pie.

Barth nodded, and returned to his place next to the kitchen door. The rest of the meal continued in silence, only broken by Barth taking orders for dessert beverages. The ancient butler's mouth quirked disapprovingly when Danny asked for coffee with sugar, and Vlad also had the grace to frown critically, but Danny ignored them, and they didn't protest.

A few minutes later, Barth returned with the coffees and dessert, a chocolate cake with a molten center that had Danny drooling the moment the teen set eyes on it.

"So… Daniel, how do you like your room?" Vlad asked, trying to strike up a conversation with the teenager.

Danny swallowed the bite of cake in his mouth. "It's fantastic," he said truthfully. "Barth and everyone did a great job."

Vlad smiled slyly. "I'm glad you like it. The telescope is my gift to you. When Bartholomew told me of his plan to give you one of the towers, I immediately thought of your obsession with astronomy."

Danny blinked, surprised. "Oh…" He said, his heart sinking. "…Thanks."

The billionaire sipped his coffee and leaned forward on his forearm. "Daniel, as soon as you are able, I would like to begin your training," he said, smiling inwardly at the thinly disguised expression of fear on Danny's face. "I believe it is only through sheer luck that you managed to defeat your future self, and I would feel better if you had actual _skill_ to rely on should such an enemy rise again."

_Translation: You're looking forward to pounding me senseless every other day to prove your own superiority,_ Danny thought bitterly, swallowing down on the bile rising in his throat. _"Sheer luck" my ass, Vlad. Dan would've skinned you alive, and you know it. Don't give me this "little badger has no skills" crap._

"As you are still injured, I am willing to wait until you are completely recovered to begin combat training," he said, feigning gallantry with a waving hand. "However, we will begin tactics and strategy planning tomorrow morning, as neither of those skills requires any physical dexterity. As such, I would advise you to turn in early tonight, as you will need all of your mental facilities at their strongest." He drained his coffee mug, pushed his plate away, and stood, giving Danny a mocking bow. "Good night, little badger," he sneered. "I look forward to starting your lessons. I'm sure they'll prove to be very… enlightening." He turned and walked out of the dining room, leaving a pale and shaking Danny in his wake.

"Master Danny? Have you finished with your meal?" Barth asked gently, placing a cold hand on the boy's uninjured shoulder.

"Yeah, I'm done, Barth," Danny whispered, pushing his half eaten cake away. "It was excellent, but I've kind of lost my appetite."

"Very well, young Master," Barth said easily, picking up the plate and mug and silverware. "If you wish to retire, you'll find that all of your belongings have been unpacked, and your sleeping attire has been laid out for you."

"Thanks Barth, that sounds like a good idea," Danny replied, standing and wandering out of the dining room without a backward glance, his hands stuffed in his pockets and his head bowed. Barth stared solemnly after him, cursing the monster of a man who would torment a grieving child in such a fashion.

* * *

The next morning, Danny stumbled into the dining room, looking and feeling even more exhausted than he had the night before. Immediately after sitting down at the table, Barth placed a mug of coffee and a blueberry muffin in front of him, which the teen acknowledged with a grateful grunt, draining the mug in one gulp.

"Good morning, Daniel," Vlad said all too cheerily, sitting down opposite Danny and grinning predatorily at the young halfa. "I hope you've slept well."

The taste of coffee in Danny's mouth immediately soured, and Danny swallowed thickly. "'Morning," he whispered, looking down at his suddenly unappetizing muffin. He hadn't slept well; in fact, he'd barely slept _at all_ last night, between his paranoia that Vlad was going to murder him in his sleep and the nightmares of his family's death. Barth gave him a concerned look as he refilled the boy's coffee.

"Eat up, your mind will need all the energy it can get today," Vlad continued, digging into his eggs Benedict with fervor. Danny just nibbled his muffin and sipped his coffee, slowly feeling more human as he did.

Vlad finished quickly, but Danny took longer, hoping to delay the inevitable as much as he could. However, he could tell that Vlad was getting impatient, and he knew that to procrastinate any more would be a bad idea. He pushed his plate away, and Vlad stood and strode out of the dining room, Danny trailing behind him.

They entered the library, and Vlad pointed to two chairs facing each other with a table in between. A chessboard was laid out on the table.

"Have a seat, Daniel," he purred slimily, sitting down himself on the black side. Danny did as he was told, nervously eyeing the older halfa.

"We will begin with strategy," Vlad announced, gesturing to the chessboard. "Have you ever played chess, Daniel?" Danny shook his head, and the man's sly smirk grew into a nasty grin. "Very well, then. The point of the game is to avoid having your king captured at all costs, and to try to capture your opponent's king at the same time. Each piece moves in a different way, or set of ways. The king, for example," he picked up his king, carved from smooth black marble, "can move in any direction, but only one space at a time. The queen," he replaced his king and picked up his queen, "however, may move as many spaces as you wish, in any direction. The bishop," he indicated the piece, "moves diagonally, as many spaces as you wish. The knight moves three spaces forward, backward, left, or right, and then one space to each side. For example, if I were to move my knight to the left," as he spoke, he moved the piece three spaces to the left in the center of the board, "I must now either move forward—"he moved the night one space forward—"or once space back—"he demonstrated, and then placed the knight back into its space and picked up the next piece. "The rook may move as many spaces as you wish, forward, backward, left or right. Finally, the pawn may move two spaces forward when first being used, but after that may only move one space forward. Understand?"

Danny nodded, trying to keep all the pieces and what they did straight (not an easy task when he'd only had three hours of sleep the night before).

"As you are playing white, you have the first move," Vlad told him, and Danny mentally shuddered at the terrifyingly feral smile the man gave him. Hand shaking a bit, he picked a pawn up and moved it two spaces forward.

Vlad then proceeded to whip his butt not once, not twice, but thirty times before Barth called them to lunch. A vicious cycle had been established: Danny would make a mistake, Vlad would taunt him, Danny would get angry and frustrated and make another mistake, which Vlad would tease him for as well, and so on. By the end of it, Danny was a taut string of pent up frustration and anger, thanks to Vlad's continuous goading.

"You're letting your emotions cloud your judgment, Daniel," Vlad told him scornfully over lunch, "the way you always do. Take your emotions and lock them away, and your thinking will clear. Emotions get in the way of logic; it's better to be rid of them than to be ruled by them."

Danny blinked. His mind flashed back to his trip to the future, to a very different Vlad Masters, who had told him how his evil future self had been created: He'd asked Masters to help him get rid of his emotions. Vlad had separated his ghost and human selves, and his ghost self ended up doing the same to Vlad, merging with Vlad's ghost half and destroying his human self. Dan Phantom had destroyed his own _humanity_… had gotten rid of his _human emotions_.

_Vlad's telling me to let go of my humanity…_ Danny thought numbly, shocked to his core. _Damn it, Vlad, that's how I got into this mess in the first place! I turned into a monster because I wanted to get rid of my emotions, which made me _human!

Danny pushed his plate away and stood up abruptly, his temper reaching its boiling point. "Get this through your thick skull, Plasmius," he snarled, his eyes glowing ectoplasmic green with the power of his fury. _"I am not you._ I'm not you, I've never been you, and I'll _never_ become you. You can toss your humanity and your emotions away like trash, but I can't, and I never will." And with that, he turned invisible and intangible and phased through the floor where he stood, shaking with anger and afraid that if he'd stayed in that crazy fruitloop's presence a second longer, he'd do something he'd really regret.

Vlad stared at the spot where Danny had disappeared for a few seconds, then a vicious, terrifying smile spread across his face.

"Maybe not yet, little badger," he murmured to himself, "but you will. Given time, you will."

* * *

Barth found Danny in the far corner of the Masters property, in a little stand of trees almost out of sight of the castle, in his white-haired, green eyed ghost form, releasing his frustration and anger and fear in the form of the cold green fire of ectoplasmic energy blasts.

The ancient butler watched silently as Danny took an empty soda can from the pile beside him, threw it into the air, aimed, and fired a single shot from the palm of his left hand. The can exploded in midair, and barely had one can been dispatched in such a manner that another can followed in its place. Barth could tell by the mechanical way the boy threw, aimed, fired, threw, aimed, fired, that he did this quite a lot to blow off steam, and as long as he kept his target practice outdoors, the ghost didn't see any reason to make him stop. The fierce brightness of his eyes and the way the boy's jaw was clenched told him that Danny needed the release.

After a long time, Danny ran out of cans, and lowered his arm. Without turning, he said tonelessly, "I know you're there, Barth. Go away."

Seeing that there was no arguing with the ghostly teen, Barth floated in front of him and bowed. "As you wish, Master Danny," he said simply. "I will be in the kitchens for the remainder of the day, if you wish to speak to a sympathetic party." He turned and made to fly back to the castle, but at the last minute turned around and went back, staying invisible far enough away to be out of range of Danny's Ghost Sense, but close enough to keep an eye on the teen. When the young half-ghost finally passed out from sheer exhaustion after expelling all of his energy, Barth carried him back to his room in his arms.

* * *

Over the next few weeks, as the last of his injuries healed, Danny's days fell into a routine. There were "lessons", usually chess or some other equally confusing strategy game, in the morning, followed by lunch and then avoiding Vlad for the rest of the day. When Danny finally got the bandages off of his broken shoulder blade and was given the go-ahead to use it, Vlad decided to up the ante.

"Now we will begin your combat training," he said, flipping a switch and turning on the lights. They were standing in a huge, empty room in the subterranean levels of the castle. Danny scowled at the older halfa; despite what the doctor had said, his shoulder was still sore, and he wasn't looking forward to breaking it again, which was what he was afraid was going to happen if Vlad wanted to go all out.

"Begin," the billionaire said nastily, switching to ghost mode and sending a pink ectoblast roaring at Danny before the teen could blink. It was all he could do to dodge the blast before it impacted, leaping sideways to the right and transforming as the pink energy whistled by, narrowly missing his ear. Danny fired his own green blast back, but Vlad easily deflected it with a pink energy shield.

Over the next hour, Danny was thoroughly beaten, although Vlad was careful to keep injuries worse than bruises or cuts to a minimum. In a fit of desperation, the younger halfa tried to escape by phasing through one of the walls, but only managed to crack his head on said wall even when intangible.

"Foolish child, there's no escape," Vlad chuckled as Danny shook his head and wondered where his life had taken a left turn at Albuquerque. "There are ghost shields inside all of the walls in this room, and the floor and ceiling. This is pure combat; there is no room for your little tricks here. You want to get out? You have to fight your way out."

_Like I didn't already know that!_ Danny thought, too sore and exhausted to speak. He was leaning on one knee, his entire body shaking from effort, his sweat matted white hair hanging limply in his eyes. _Come on, Fenton, get up! Get UP!_ With supreme effort, Danny managed stagger to both feet, only to involuntarily transform back to human and keel over.

"Pathetic," Vlad sneered, floating over to the fallen teen and jabbing him lightly in the ribs with the toe of his boot. Danny could only give a quiet yelp of pain and protest. "It must have truly been sheer luck that enabled you to defeat Dan Phantom," the older halfa continued. "But of course, I must be at a severe disadvantage, as I don't seem to have the correct… _motivation_ to enable you to perform at a more optimal level." He thought for a second, then smirked and crouched down to say quietly, "If you believe that I am trying to kill you, Daniel, rest assured that this is not the case. I am only trying to help you become _stronger_, so that we may rule the ghost zone and the world together as father and son. If it is your hope that I kill you, then I am sorry to disappoint. You would be quite useless to me dead." He stood, switched forms, and, brushing imaginary dirt off of the sleeves of his expensive suit, strode out the door, hitting a button on the side and calling for Barth as he did so. The elderly butler ghost waited until Vlad was long gone before quickly flying into the room and kneeling next to Danny.

"Oh, young Master," he sighed, staring at the now unconscious young halfa sadly. He gently gathered the boy in his arms, flew him to his room, and deposited him in his bed. The ghost went to get some first aid supplies, and quickly returned and started patching the teenager up, noting with growing anger and pity the hundreds of other, older scars that decorated Danny's body, badges of battles won and lost over the past several months since he'd become Danny Phantom.

Danny began to stir, groaning and muttering obscenities under his breath. He opened his eyes, and blinked at Barth, as though trying to remember who the butler was.

"Barth?" He whispered finally.

"Yes, Master Danny, I am here," Barth answered gently. "I have patched you up to the best of my ability. Is there anything else you feel that requires my attention?"

Danny took a moment to process that, then gingerly shook his head. "No, I think you got everything," he replied. He sighed, and scowled at the ceiling. "Damn crazy fruitloop."

"I quite agree, young Master," Barth added dryly, eliciting a wry look from the teen.

"I've got to get out of here, Barth," Danny said quietly after a pause. "No matter what Vlad says, he's going to kill me eventually. And as much as I miss my family and friends… I don't want to die yet, Barth, I really don't."

Barth nodded understandingly, a sly gleam appearing in his dark eyes. "I thought you would say that, Master Danny," he replied, reaching into his suit jacket. "And that is why I got you this." He pulled out an envelope, and handed it to the teen. Curious, Danny opened it, and pulled out a British Airways First Class ticket to London, England.

"England?" He squeaked.

"You do not have to use it, if you would prefer another destination," Barth said. "I just thought you would appreciate being far away enough that it would take time for Mr. Masters to track you, but still in an English speaking country. The flight itself is in two weeks, so you don't have to decide immediately."

"It's perfect," Danny said immediately, a ghost of a smile on his face, which to Barth seemed like the widest, happiest grin in the world.


	3. A Third World Revealed

Walk Three Worlds  
A Danny Phantom/Harry Potter Fanfic  
By CaelumFelis  
Disclaimer: I don't own Danny Phantom or Harry Potter or anything associated with them.

* * *

**Chapter 3: A Third World Revealed**

Danny grimaced as he hefted the duffel bag hanging from his shoulder, moving off of the nasty bruise on his collarbone that Vlad had given him during their "training session" the day before. He was sore and exhausted and looked it, but he'd been waiting for this day for two weeks, and he would be damned before he let his battered and aching body keep him from taking advantage of this opportunity. Vlad had been called away on a business meeting the previous evening, and wouldn't be back until late the night, making today the best possible chance Danny would have for escape. Barth had finalized the ticket as Danny collected all of the documents necessary for leaving the country (his passport, an immigration visa Barth had gotten him, and his birth certificate) and packed his duffel bag, then Danny had left, thanking Barth profusely and making sure that if worst came to worst, the elderly ghost had somewhere safe to hide from Vlad.

Danny had flown from seven that morning until almost eight thirty that night, stopping only for a bite to eat every few hours. He'd reached Chicago O'Hare with an hour and a half to spare, transforming back to human form behind a support pillar and making a beeline for an automated ticket machine, getting his boarding pass with the help of Vlad's driver's license and one of his many credit cards, which he'd swiped from the older halfa's bedroom while collecting his own passport and birth certificate. He was now standing in line at security, hoping they'd buy the "unaccompanied minor" shtick, wondering what he was going to do about his backpack full of ghost weapons, and cursing Vlad for the bruises his bags were aggravating.

When it was his turn to get his boarding pass checked, he nervously stepped up to the security guard's podium and handed the woman his boarding pass and passport.

"Unaccompanied minor?" She asked, glancing at him. He nodded.

"Parent or guardian?"

"Vlad Masters," he answered, handing the shocked woman Vlad's license. She blinked at the three documents, then gave him back his passport and the license.

"Just sign here," she said numbly, pointing to a line on the boarding pass and handing him a pen. Danny did so, and she gave him back the pass and waved him through.

As soon as she was out of earshot, he gave a quick sigh of relief, then turned his attention to the next problem: how to get a pack full of ghost weapons though airport security. He pondered this problem as he took off his shoes and put them in a bin, then realized that he had ghost powers and could make the pack invisible and intangible so that he could carry it with him without it being detected by the machines. Gritting his teeth and praying that no one was watching, he lifted his medium sized blue duffel bag onto the belt of the X-ray machine, while at the same time, smoothly slipping his green backpack off of the shoulder it had been slung on and forcing his ghostly energy to flood every molecule of the bag and its contents, easily rendering it invisible and intangible. He then walked through the machine, praying that it wouldn't detect the unseeable and untouchable bag. To his vast relief, nothing happened, and Danny collected his duffel and his sneakers and quickly walked to a bench to put his shoes back on. He placed his duffel on one side of him and surreptitiously slid the now only invisible backpack under the bench and let go, the bag immediately becoming visible again, shielded from view by his duffel. He quickly tied on his shoes, grabbed his bags, and headed to the gate, feeling extremely proud of himself.

_Gate 3, Gate 3, where's Gate 3?_ Danny thought absently as he walked down the terminal. _Of course, it _has_ to be at the complete opposite end of the freaking building. What luck I have._ He reached his gate and sat against a wall, half hidden by an enormous pot of fake plants, and for the first time since he got up that morning, allowed himself to relax. The first hurdle was passed, in half an hour he'd be on the plane, and Vlad wouldn't be able to get to him.

His stomach rumbled, and Danny obediently gathered his stuff and went off in search of food and coffee, keeping an eye on his watch. He found a Starbucks, and the tired looking man working the register didn't even blink when Danny placed his order for a small decaf and a chocolate muffin. He took the items back to the gate, glad for the foresight he'd had in taking Vlad's AmEx.

He'd just finished his coffee when the plane began boarding, and Danny tossed his trash into a nearby trash can and joined the queue. His boarding pass was scanned and he was waved through, and Danny practically skipped down the boarding corridor to the plane. He found his seat, in the back row next to the window, stowed his duffel overhead and his pack at his feet, and settled in for the long flight, falling asleep almost instantly.

* * *

London's Heathrow Airport, Harry Potter noticed, seemed to get busier and more crowded every time he visited it. Not that he visited very often, especially in the past thirteen or so years, but each time he came it always seemed to shrink, and the people seemed to be more rude than they'd been before.

The slim, ebony-haired twenty-five-year-old scanned passers-by with piercing green eyes, a pair of wire-rimmed glasses perched on his nose. He was dressed in a Muggle uniform, that of a British Immigration officer, complete with an authentic (at least as far as Muggles were concerned) badge and ID card to match. Beside him, his partner was similarly disguised, although much less congenial about it.

"This is rubbish, Harry," Ron Weasley complained quietly, fidgeting with his collar. The tall, lanky ginger looked around nervously with cool blue eyes. "We shouldn't bloody be here. This kid's a Muggle, isn't he? Let the Muggles deal with him."

"The Muggles don't have the resources to deal with him, Ron," Harry answered calmly.

"He's a bloody kid!" Ron snapped. "What's there to deal with? What's so special about him that Shacklebolt needs us to infiltrate a Muggle airport just to pick him up?" The gate they were stationed in front of opened, and passengers flooded out.

"Kingsley said something about him being part ghost," Harry answered absently, keeping a picture of his target in mind and studying each person as they passed. In doing so, he missed Ron's gape.

"How the hell does _that_ work?"

Suddenly, Harry spotted the target. "You can ask him yourself, mate," he said, nudging Ron and nodding in the direction of a black haired, blue eyed teenage boy. "There he is."

Ron followed his partner's gaze and blanched. "Blimey, that's him? He's as scrawny as you. How old is this kid?"

Harry consulted a slim black notebook, Transfigured from a dossier that held their target's information. "Says here he's fifteen," he answered, glancing back up at the kid, who was rapidly moving in the direction of the street. "He's a bit taller than I was at that age. C'mon, we need to catch him before he can disappear. I'll go in front and get his attention, you come around the back. No wands, we don't want to scare the poor bugger."

"Roger," Ron said, nodding. He had no problem admitting that his partner, best friend, and brother-in-law was the better Auror, and usually followed Harry's lead, although he reserved the right to hex him if he thought his friend was getting too full of himself.

The two twenty-five-year-old wizards left their stakeout location and casually strode over to the target. At a nod from Harry, Ron veered off to circle around, and Harry himself put on his most easygoing smile and walked up to the teenager.

"Excuse me," he said, his tone friendly and nonchalant. The boy gave the tiniest of flinches, and looked up at him with guarded blue eyes. Harry let himself be curious about the careful control of expression for about five seconds before continuing. "Hello, there. My name is Inspector Potter; I'm with Her Majesty's Royal Immigration Service. Daniel Fenton, correct?"

"Danny," the boy corrected mechanically, and Harry noticed that his body was tensing for flight, his hands coming to grip the shoulder straps on the duffel bag and backpack he was wearing.

"Relax, Danny, you're not in any trouble," Harry assured him, smiling comfortingly. "My partner, Inspector Wesley, and I just want to ask you some questions."

Danny relaxed a tiny bit, but when he heard Ron behind him, he immediately spun halfway around and backed up a bit, so that both men were in front of him, an action that caused Harry and Ron to exchange concerned and quizzical glances.

"Where're you from, Danny?" Ron asked.

"Amity Park," Danny answered, eyes flicking from Harry to Ron and back again warily. "Fifteen minutes from Chicago."

_Hometown, check,_ Harry thought.

"What brings you to merry old England, mate?" He asked, watching the teen's reaction carefully.

Danny hesitated for a split second, but it was enough for Harry to catch and take not of. "Running away from my slimeball foster father?" He offered, his tone light and joking. He attempted to crack a smile, but didn't succeed.

Harry and Ron traded glances again.

"It's a long way from Chicago to London, Danny," Ron said seriously, his expression concerned as he regarded the teenager in front of him. "You got any family to take you in?"

A shadow passed over the teen's face, dulling the brilliance of his sky blue eyes and causing his features to become rigid and stoic. Harry frowned; he knew that kind of shadow all too well, he'd seen it in the mirror enough times after Sirius had died. This boy wouldn't be running away if he had family to go to.

"I'm sorry," Harry said, meeting Danny's eyes gravely. Danny blinked at him, a bit surprised.

Ron cleared his throat. "Danny, if you don't have any family to claim you, you're going to have to come with us," he said. Danny's eyes snapped in Ron's direction, and he took a step back.

"I'm not going to get deported, am I?" He asked, going pale.

"No, you're not getting deported," Harry said, puzzled at the teen's reaction. Was he really that afraid of whatever he was running from? The Auror shook his head and pulled a small mirror out of the inside pocket of his uniform jacket. "Kingsley Shacklebolt."

The Minister of Magic's face appeared in the mirror. _"Hello there, Potter. Report?"_

"We've got him, sir," Harry replied, smiling slightly at the slack-jawed expression of utter shock on Danny's face. "Do you want us to bring him in? He's alone, and he's not meeting anyone."

"_Yes, by all means, Potter,"_ Kingsley replied. _"See you in a few."_

"Yes, sir," Harry finished. Kingsley disappeared from the mirror, and Harry tucked it back into his jacket.

"So how is this going to work, Harry?" Ron asked. "Are we Apparating, or are we going to be civilized folk and use broomsticks?"

"Danny and I are Apparating," Harry answered, smirking at his friend. "You can use a broom if you want, but you'll have to explain to Kingsley why you're late."

Ron grumbled, but got out his wand. Harry did the same, and turned to Danny, who was now looking at both men with the expression of one having found himself in the presence of lunatics.

"Who the hell are you?" Danny demanded, fear and confusion making his voice harsh and higher than normal. "What do you want from me?"

"We'll explain everything, but not here, and not now," Harry assured him. "We need you to come with us. Take my hand, and close your eyes."

Danny looked at Harry distrustfully, but after a second did as he was told. Harry and Ron nodded at each other, and then with a quiet _pop_, the three of them disappeared.

* * *

Danny hadn't known what to make of the two men who'd approached him; the sight of the uniforms had immediately set his instincts to screaming _"RUN!"_, but the smile that the shorter, black haired man had given him had, oddly enough, settled his nerves. However, he'd nearly jumped out of his skin when he'd realized that the tall redhead had come up behind him, and he'd seen by the looks they'd exchanged with each other that they were worried about how he'd reacted.

It was when the shorter man suddenly produced a talking mirror that Danny realized that he wasn't anywhere remotely resembling Kansas anymore. When the men each took out a long, slim stick, Danny started to really panic. What were they planning on doing with those things?

As it turned out, nothing. The black haired man had told Danny to take his hand and close his eyes, and after a few seconds of weighing his options, Danny had complied. There was a split second of silence, then the nauseating sensation of his entire body being squeezed as though through a funnel, and then he was on solid ground again.

"You can open your eyes now, Danny," the black haired man, Potter, said, sounding rather amused. Danny slowly cracked his eyes open, and realized with a shock that he wasn't in the airport anymore. Instead, he was standing in the middle of a marble corridor, which was lit not by electric lights, but by torches. The corridor was white marble and reflected the light of the torches, making it very easy to see.

"That's weird," the redhead, Wesley, said, blinking at Danny.

"What?" Danny asked defensively.

"You're a Muggle," Wesley replied, frowning. "You shouldn't be able to _see_ the Ministry of Magic, much less be able to come in."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Danny said, now seriously wondering what it was he'd done to get the universe so ticked at him. "What's a Muggle? What's the Ministry of Magic? What the hell do you guys _want_ with me?"

"Let us take you to our boss, and we'll answer all your questions," Potter said calmly, shooting a Look at Wesley, who gave him an innocent "I didn't do nothin'" expression in return. "This way."

Potter led the way through the maze of corridors, Danny at his heels and shooting glances back at Wesley, who brought up the rear. They finally stopped in front of a huge set of oak doors.

"Harry Potter and Ron Weasley from the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, Auror Office, to see Kingsley Shacklebolt, Minister of Magic," Potter told the doors. Danny wondered why the man was talking to a pair of doors, until the doors seemed to open by themselves, and his attention moved to how on earth they did so. Potter strode inside, and Wesley prodded Danny to get him to follow.

Despite the intimidating entrance, the room the trio entered was rather plain. Bookshelves and portraits lined the walls, and Danny had to pinch himself to make sure he was awake, because it seemed like the subjects of the portraits were _moving_. A large desk sat opposite the doors at the other end of the room, and an equally large black man sat behind it, smiling at the two men who had just entered.

"Ah, Potter, Weasley, well done," he said, rising from the desk chair and coming around to shake their hands, his bright blue robes billowing around him. "Any trouble?"

"No, sir," Potter said, grinning.

"And even if there was, we would've handled it," Wesley added. "Right, Harry?" He nudged his partner, who rolled his eyes and took out his stick again. With a flick of his wrist, the uniform he'd been wearing _changed_, becoming dark green robes. His friend did the same, his own uniform becoming dark blue robes. The three men all turned when they heard Danny's squeak of shock.

"Ah, this must be young Mr. Fenton," the black man said, stepping closer to Danny. Danny scrambled back, staring at the man with wide eyes.

"Who're you?" He asked, fighting the urge to transform where he was, damn the consequences. The black man blinked, and glanced at Potter and Wesley.

"Didn't you two tell him _anything?_" He asked. The younger men had the grace to look sheepish.

"We were going to," Wesley said.

"We thought you might be the best one to explain, sir, since you were the one to give the order to bring him in," Potter explained.

The black man sighed, shaking his head at the two. "I don't know why I bother with you two," he said wryly. The pair grinned.

"Because we're the best damn Aurors since Mad-Eye and the Longbottoms," Wesley said cheekily.

"Sir," Potter added.

"Don't get full of yourselves," the black man admonished before turning back to Danny, who'd backed up against the wall, ready to phase through if he needed to. "Relax, Mr. Fenton, I'm not going to hurt you," he said gently. "My name is Kingsley Shacklebolt. I'm the Minister of Magic."

"Magic?" Danny asked, frowning. "Like that teleportation stuff, and the transforming clothes?"

Shacklebolt nodded. "Exactly that," he said. "I am a wizard, Mr. Fenton, as are Mr. Potter and Mr. Weasley. I asked them to bring you here because we've had our eye on you for a while."

Immediately, alarm bells went off in Danny's head. "Had your eye on me?" He asked carefully. "Why me?"

Shacklebolt went back to his desk and picked up what looked like a photo. Danny slowly followed, his curiosity getting the better of him. He heard Potter and Wesley (_Weasley_, he reminded himself, remembering what Shacklebolt had called the redhead) approach as well, but ignored them. Shacklebolt handed him the picture, and Danny stared at himself, first in human form, then transforming into ghost form, and then transforming back again in an endless loop.

"W-Where did you get this?" Danny whispered, choking a bit as he tried to find his voice.

"An Auror stationed in Amity Park took it," Shacklebolt replied. "After the creation of the interdimensional portal your parents opened up, we thought it best to make sure that we had someone over there to keep an eye on things. We didn't have to do very much, however, since you always seemed to have things well in hand."

Danny sighed. With the photo and whatever else this person had collected on him, he knew it was useless to try and argue. "What do you people want with me?" He asked, simply and quietly, not looking at any of the men around him.

"Well, we have some questions for you," Shacklebolt said slowly, but the utter exhaustion in the boy's face changed his mind. "But those will wait. For right now, Mr. Potter and Mr. Weasley will take you to register with the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, and then I think a good, long rest is in order. No offense, boy, but you look like you're ready to keel over at a moment's notice. Potter," he addressed the black haired man, "I think it best if Mr. Fenton went home with you. He'd probably be the most comfortable with you, since you've dealt with Muggles."

"Yes, sir," Potter said, nodding briskly. He glanced at Danny and gave the boy a reassuring smile.

"Wait," Danny said, alarmed that these people were making plans over his head. "Can't you just do whatever it is you need to do and let me go? I'm fifteen, I don't need to be taken care of like a little kid—"

"Danny," Potter said gently, and Danny, despite himself, met his eyes, "where did you think you would go, once you got to London? It's a huge city, and not all of it is friendly. We all know you can take care of yourself, but for how long? Like you said, you're fifteen. You're not a little kid, but you're not grown up yet either. Despite what you think, you still need someone to watch out for you. And I would think that someone in your position would not turn away a free bed and meal."

Danny gaped at him, and realized that the man was right. Short of getting to the airport, on the plane, and to London, Danny didn't have any kind plan for what he would do after leaving Vlad's castle. Kicking himself, he closed his mouth and looked at the floor.

"Very well then, gentlemen," Shacklebolt said cheerfully, returning to his desk. "Potter, expect me to drop by in a few days or so to proceed with my questions for Mr. Fenton."

"Yes, sir, Minister," Potter said.

"You're all dismissed, then," Shacklebolt said, and Potter, Weasley, and Danny left the office.

"So, what's next, then, Mr. Potter?" Danny asked, readjusting the strap of his duffel where it had fallen painfully on his bruised shoulder.

"We're going to get you registered with the Magical Creatures office, and then you and I are going home," Potter replied. "By the way, you can call me Harry."

Danny nodded, then frowned as Mr. Potter—_Harry's_ words came back to him. "Magical Creatures?" He asked. "What makes me a "magical creature"?"

"Probably the fact that you're part ghost, whatever that means," Weasley said. "Oh, and my name's Ron. Harry, you think you can handle this? I want to surprise Hermione by actually coming home when she gets home."

Harry checked his watch, then nodded at his friend. "I think it'll be all right, Ron, it's just a simple registration," he said. "Dinner at my place tonight?"

"Sounds good, as long as you're the one cooking," Ron replied easily. "I don't know how Ginny missed getting Mum's cooking skills. It's amazing you don't die of food poisoning whenever she cooks."

"What can I say?" Harry shrugged. "I'm hard to kill. Six, then?"

"Sure, see you then," Ron replied, and disappeared with a resounding _pop_.

Danny jumped and stared at the spot where Ron had been standing. "What was _that?_" The teenager asked, eyes wide.

"Disappration," Harry told him, a smile playing on his face, "a magical form of teleportation. Come on, the sooner we do this, the sooner we can go home for lunch." He led the way through yet another maze of corridors, Danny keeping up with him easily. They walked for a while, until they came to a door labeled suspiciously, "Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, Beast, Being, and Spirit Divisions". Harry held the door open for him, and Danny cautiously entered, unconsciously checking for threats, weapons, and exits. Harry noticed the teen's behavior and was impressed, and also mildly concerned.

_He's far too young to be doing what he does,_ the Auror thought.

Thankfully, the Magical Creatures Department wasn't terribly busy, and Danny's registration didn't take very long. It was surprisingly simple, really, just some questions, a transformation, pictures, and a display of each of his powers. He drew the line at his Ghostly Wail, telling the frumpy little witch who was taking everything down that not only was he too low on energy to do it, it was also too powerful and would probably destroy not only the room they were in, but the entire department, as well. Neither Harry nor the witch argued with him, seeing that it was a losing battle anyway. To make up for it, Danny told her that if she could find a place where there was nothing of importance to destroy, and he was at full strength, then he would show her what his Wail could do.

"I believe we're done here," the witch said finally. "Thank you for your cooperation, Mr. Fenton. You are free to leave."

"Thanks," Danny said, gathering his things and glancing at his watch, which he'd remembered to set according to London time before his plane had landed. Almost noon. He suddenly felt exhausted, and he realized with a shock that it was six AM back in the States.

_Damn jet lag,_ Danny grouched to himself.

"Thanks, Jane," Harry said, smiling at the witch. She blushed furiously, and busied herself with her paperwork, muttering a "you're welcome".

"Ready to go, Danny?" The Auror asked. Danny somehow suppressed a yawn and nodded. "Hold my arm," Harry instructed, and the teen complied. With a much quieter _pop_ than Ron, they disappeared.

* * *

Danny opened his eyes and looked around curiously. They were now in a small town, almost completely surrounded by green forest. Houses stood dotted about, surrounded by picket fences that seemed to be more for decoration than for security. They were in the middle of the street, facing one mid-sized, two storey house, with a large porch and yard.

"Where are we now?" Danny asked tiredly, desperately wanting a bed and sleep without nightmares.

"Godric's Hollow," Harry answered, smiling wistfully. "My hometown. This is my house." He led the way up the front steps and to the front door, muttering something to the door before it happily swung open. Danny followed Harry inside, looking all around and feeling rather surprised with how… _normal_ it looked. An umbrella stand in the corner next to the door, a decorative table/mirror next to the umbrella stand, pictures hung up all over the walls. A small staircase stood to Danny's immediate front and left, the wall going up also covered in pictures. There was a doorway to Danny's left, in front of the staircase, which he thought led into a dining room, and another one on his right, which he could see led into a living room. A hallway stretched out in front of him, leading towards the back of the house. He could hear Harry moving around in there, probably making lunch.

"Hey, Danny," the older man called. "Just drop your stuff where it is and come have something to eat, all right? Then a good, long rest might be in order."

Danny didn't reply, but simply did as he was told, placing his duffel bag and backpack on the floor and removing his shoes before shuffling into the kitchen. He sat down at the table and looked around. This was the hub of the Potter house, the place where most of the events of the day took place. Bookshelves lined with strange looking titles decorated the wall parallel to the front of the house, looking messy and disorganized and lovingly abused with use. A small family room was arranged in the corner, with a comfortable looking couch and loveseat and armchair arranged around a coffee table and what looked like an old fashioned wireless radio. Infant toys were everywhere, surprising Danny, who'd thought Harry was a bachelor.

"Any preferences?" Harry asked, gently drawing Danny from his musings. Danny shook his head, and Harry shrugged and began cooking. Danny watched with a growing sense of unreality as eggs levitated and cracked themselves over a bowl and seemed to scramble themselves. Two frying pans situated themselves on the stove and began greasing themselves. Bacon dropped into one pan and began frying, while potatoes were chopped by an invisible knife and stampeded into the frying pan next to the bacon. The eggs poured themselves into the other frying pan, and with careful observation from Harry, who was watching and leading this strange symphony of activity with an expression of careful concentration akin to that of a conductor leading an orchestra, his wand flicking and waving like a baton, began to scramble themselves as they turned a delicious golden yellow. Danny nearly fainted with hunger at the smells being produced, and realized how little he'd eaten in the past twenty-four hours. At long last, a plate was placed in front of him, and he barely remembered tasting the food as it went down. After a third helping, Danny was finally full, and feeling a bit more than a little sleepy. Harry led him upstairs to the guest room, and Danny didn't even bother getting undressed before collapsing into dark oblivion.


	4. Meet the Potters

Walk Three Worlds  
A Danny Phantom/Harry Potter Fanfic  
By CaelumFelis  
Disclaimer: I don't own Danny Phantom or Harry Potter or anything associated with them.

* * *

**Chapter 4: Meet the Potters**

Considering the odd hours her husband worked, Ginny Potter (née Weasley) was never entirely sure when Harry would be home at any given point in time. She'd never held it against him, knowing that he loved his job and was wonderful at it, and he was always around when it counted. He'd been Ron's best man at his and Hermione's wedding, he'd coached her through giving birth to their son, and he'd gone to as many of her Quidditch matches as he could before she'd retired from the sport. He seemed desperate to make up for the family life he'd only been allowed to observe, growing up with his horrid Muggle relatives. He'd also thrown himself with his usual endless determination and focus into researching his family, both magical and Muggle.

"The last thing I want is for my children to ask me about their grandparents and for me to be unable to answer them," he'd told her when he'd started.

Ginny smiled as she walked up the drive to her house. _Yes,_ she thought, her arms tightening around her year-old son. _Harry's a wonderful family man, even if he does work the strangest of hours._

She let herself into the house, dropping her purse and briefcase onto the table next to the front door and kicking off her pumps. Propping James on one hip, she went to the kitchen to see about dinner, only slightly surprised to find her husband in sweatpants and a t-shirt, sprawled on the sofa in the family room and snoring softly, his glasses askew.

_He must've been able to get off early,_ Ginny thought happily. She smiled and walked over to him, gently placing her son on his father's chest and kissing her husband on the top of his untamable black mop of hair.

"Mmmph," he groaned slightly, smiling as those bright green eyes she never got tired of looking at slowly opened. He fixed his glasses automatically, then noticed the weight on his chest and glanced down at the gurgling baby perched there, and his smile grew.

"Hello there, James," he said happily, bringing his arms up to gently hug his son. "Did you have fun at Grandma and Grandpa's?" James babbled cheerfully in response, causing Harry to laugh and kiss the infant on the forehead.

"And how was your day, honey?" He asked, looking up into his wife's warm and loving brown eyes.

Ginny smirked. "It was all right, the Cannons got slaughtered by Puddlemere," she said, absently playing with Harry's hair.

Harry made a face; the Chudley Cannons were the worst Quidditch team in the history of the sport (a good six or seven hundred years), but they were Ron's favorite team, and that meant that the Potter household and the four other Weasley households had to at least pretend to follow them. It helped that Ginny was the Senior Quidditch Correspondent for the _Daily Prophet_, the wizarding world's main newspaper. "Ron's not going to like that one bit," he said. "Don't mention it to him when he and Hermione come over later."

"Do we need to go grocery shopping?" Ginny asked simply, knowing how much her brother ate. "I assume you're cooking."

Harry cocked an eyebrow, silently saying _"you have to ask?"_ "I have to see what we have, but probably." He paused, and Ginny saw the gears working in his mind. The way he was biting his lip told her that he was worried about her reaction to whatever it was he had to tell her.

"Spit it out, love," she told him quietly. "Let me decide how bad it is."

Harry sighed. "My mission today was to collect an American Muggle teenager from Heathrow," he began. "The kid caught Kingsley's attention because he's part ghost."

Ginny frowned. "How is that possible?" She asked.

Harry shook his head. "I don't know, and I'm not sure I want to know," he answered. "The point is that the kid was, and I quote, "running away from his slimeball foster father", unquote. He was completely alone, Ginny, in a foreign country. Kingsley told me that after getting him processed with the Spirit Division, he wanted me to take him home with me, since I knew the most about the Muggle world and could help him adjust to ours."

Ginny smiled inwardly, even if the Minister of Magic _hadn't_ ordered him to take care of the kid, Harry would've managed to convince either the teenager or Kingsley to let him take the Muggle boy. He never could turn away someone in need.

"Where is he now, Harry?" She asked gently, and she could see the relief in his eyes. _Like a little boy with a new pet that he's afraid his mother won't let him keep,_ she thought.

"Guest bedroom upstairs," Harry replied. "He was knackered, poor fellow. I don't know how he managed to stay awake during lunch, and he didn't even bother getting undressed before passing out on the bed. Probably got hit hard by the jet lag, and the time difference."

Ginny shook her head; she knew how that felt, having toured all over Europe with the Holyhead Harpies post-Hogwarts, and again as a reporter after she'd retired from sport.

"Poor dear," she said sympathetically. "Let's let him sleep. What's his name, Harry? Where in America is he from?"

Harry told her as much as he knew about their guest, which really wasn't very much, all the while aware of a strange feeling of being watched. Since he couldn't see anything, and it didn't feel malevolent, he ignored it.

* * *

Danny had woken up when he heard the front door open. _Probably Harry's wife,_ he thought, sitting up and stretching the kinks out of his back. Glancing at the clock, he decided that he'd probably slept enough.

Standing and stretching a bit more, painfully aware of his pulled muscles and healing burns, cuts, and bruises, he stumbled over to the mirror to see what he could do about making himself a bit more presentable.

"You need a haircut, bud," said a voice, and Danny jumped and looked around wildly before realizing it was the _mirror_ that had spoken. Looking harder at his reflection, he realized that it was right.

"Umm, thanks," Danny said awkwardly. "I'll keep that in mind."

The mirror chuckled. "You do that, mate."

Danny scowled and opened up his duffel, pulling out a clean t-shirt and jeans. As he got undressed, the mirror whistled.

"That's some roadmap you got there, old chap," it commented. "Y'might want to see Ginny about them bruises. She should have something for them."

"Y'know, if I wanted your opinion, I'd've asked for it," Danny grumbled, quickly pulling on his clean shirt.

"Just sayin'," the mirror grumbled in return, easily matching Danny's tone. Danny shook his head and finished getting dressed, lacing up his sneakers and stuffing his dirty clothes into his duffel and closing it, in case he had to make a quick getaway.

Next, he checked all of his ghost fighting equipment, making sure everything was working and charged, the pain in his chest that he now associated with the memory of his family coming back as he handled the equipment. When he was done, he decided to go downstairs and scope out his new foster family. He went invisible and intangible, and silently phased through the floor.

He ended up in the kitchen, and immediately spotted the newcomer. She was leaning on the armrest of the sofa, talking quietly to whoever was lying on the couch, most likely Harry. Her forest green robes had a professional, pressed appearance to them, like a suit for office work, and her bright red hair was held out of her face by a matching headband.

Danny completely forgot himself; the pain in his chest increased a thousand fold at the sight of how his sister may have appeared ten years from now if he hadn't screwed up so royally, and his voice cracked with emotion as he whispered, "Jazz?"

The woman stood, warm and compassionate brown eyes sweeping over him. "Hello," she said, smiling kindly. "My name's Ginny, I'm Harry's wife. You're Danny, right? Harry told me you were going to be staying with us."

For a moment Danny couldn't speak, his mind juxtaposing his dead older sister with this woman who could've been her twin. Then he swallowed with superhuman effort and nodded, burying the flashbacks of the explosion and memories of his sister. "That's me," he said, squaring his shoulders and keeping his face impassive.

Harry's head popped into view over the top of the sofa. "Hey there, Danny!" He said, grinning. "Have a good nap?"

Danny nodded. "Yeah, it was great, thanks," he said.

"Brilliant," Harry said, turning and gingerly getting up, holding something in his arms. He turned, and Danny saw that he was holding a giggling, gurgling, redheaded baby. "Danny, I'd like you to meet my son, James. James, this is Danny. He's going to be staying with us for a while." He brought the infant closer to Danny, and James and the teenager regarded each other. Danny was struck by how much playfulness and mischief shone in those brown eyes, the same as Ginny's, he noticed. James suddenly broke out into an enormous smile, and babbled cheerfully.

"Looks like he likes you, Danny," Ginny said, watching the teenager carefully. Ministry orders or not, she was a mother first and foremost, and if this kid showed any kind of hostility towards her son, he would be out on the street so fast his head would be spinning. However, Danny just cocked his head to one side, reminding Ginny of a curious fox, his icy blue eyes softening as he watched the one-year-old.

_How strange,_ she thought. _It looks like he wants to smile, but doesn't really know how._

"He's really, really cute," Danny said finally, looking from Ginny to Harry with honest eyes, even though his expression never changed. "Good job, you two."

Harry and Ginny both turned red and laughed, and even James giggled.

* * *

Hermione Weasley (formerly Granger) didn't really know what to expect when she and her husband Ron Apparated to Godric's Hollow. Ron had told her about the part-ghost teenager that the Potters were hosting (she had to smile at his retelling of Harry's buttoning-up of the boy when he'd tried to protest going with him— she had no doubt that Harry was speaking from personal experience), and she was insanely curious to meet the boy for herself.

They stood on the Potters' doorstep, patiently waiting for Ginny or Harry to let them in, when the door opened to reveal a lanky, tall, and surprisingly slim black-haired teenage boy.

"Oh, hey there, Danny," Ron said, quickly recovering from his surprise. "Everything go all right at the Ministry?"

The boy nodded, sizing up the both of them with startling ice blue eyes. Hermione was struck by how cautious he was— he studied them carefully, noting their faces and the clothes they were wearing, even observing where they kept their wands (something she could tell Ron was very impressed with). Somehow she doubted that Harry had taught him how to do this in the hours that they'd been together: the search was too quick, too thorough, and too automatic. This was an ingrained habit, worthy of some of the top Aurors and magical police Hermione could think of, and she didn't want to know how or when he'd picked it up.

"They're in the back," Danny said finally, standing aside to let them in. Hermione noticed that he watched them carefully as they passed by, never turning his back to them. He didn't say anything more as he followed them down the hall to the kitchen/family room, making Hermione feel as though she was being escorted by a silent guard.

"Hey you two," Harry called from the kitchen as they entered. "How are you, 'Mione? We haven't seen you in a while."

"Sorry, Harry, I've been terribly busy trying to get all of those horrid "pureblood supremacy" laws that Voldemort created off the books," Hermione replied, giving her friend and brother-in-law a kiss on the cheek. "Can you believe there are still some Ministry people who want them to remain? They're disgusting, some of those laws!"

"You'll get rid of them, I have no doubt," Harry told her, as Ron greeted his sister and nephew.

"I guess," Hermione sighed, then looked around to realize that Danny had disappeared. "So the boy who let us in— that's Danny?"

Harry nodded, then blinked as her words registered more. "Did Ron not introduce you?" He asked, frowning a little bit.

"No, but this _is_ Ronald Weasley we're talking about," sighed Hermione, smiling ruefully. "The rules of common courtesy don't apply to him." She raised her voice slightly to make sure her husband heard her, and smiled triumphantly when she was rewarded with a mock-irritated retort, "Put a cork in it, Hermione!"

Harry laughed, his green eyes dancing. "I'll see if he's around, dinner's almost ready anyway," he said. "Ginny, set the table, will you? We're almost ready to eat."

Ginny nodded, handed James to Ron, and stood up, waving her wand at the kitchen table. Instantly, the table was covered with a purple tablecloth, and she flicked her wand at the cupboards, causing them to open and white cloth napkins, plates, cups, forks, spoons, and knives to pour out, soar over Harry's head, and arrange themselves into five places on the table, leaving a spot on the end for James's high chair.

An impressed whistle sounded next to Hermione, and she looked over in time to see Danny wink into view. "Neat trick," he said, nodding at Ginny.

"Thanks," she said, pocketing her wand.

"I'm sorry, we didn't get properly introduced," Hermione said, seizing on the moment. "I'm Hermione Weasley, Ron's wife." She held out her hand for him to shake, and after a moment's hesitation, he did so, his grip gentle but very firm.

"Danny Fenton," he said, meeting her eyes.

She frowned slightly, despite the impassiveness of his expression and tone, and the careful guardedness of his eyes, she could still tell that something massive had happened to this boy, and recently. There were shadows in the bright sky blue color, shadows she'd seen far too often in Harry's eyes after his godfather, Sirius, had died at the end of their fifth year.

_He's lost someone, maybe a lot of someones, and recently,_ she thought, and her heart went out to the teenager. _This is definitely the place for him. Harry will understand him, probably more than they both realize. Mr. Shacklebolt was right to send Danny here._

"Harry, for G-d's sake, is dinner ready yet?" Ron called, handing James back to Ginny after the one-year-old began to whimper. "I'm famished!"

"I feel sorry for you, if you're married to him," Danny said, his voice low and tinged with amusement, although, strangely enough, his expression never changed.

"He's just being a git right now," Hermione said, smiling. "He's usually very sweet."

Danny rolled his eyes, but didn't reply.

* * *

Dinner was surprisingly fun, _what with being run by adults,_ Danny thought. Harry, Ginny, Ron, and Hermione had all known each other for years, apparently, having all gone to school together. That meant that there was a ton of history between the four of them that Danny was not privy to, but that didn't mean that it wasn't extremely interesting. The halfa listened with rapt attention as Ginny described some of the Quidditch games she went to for her job, and wondered if it were possible to play without a broom, since he didn't need one. He didn't dare ask the question aloud though, for fear of the three ex-athletes at the table ridiculing him. However, Harry asked him how it felt to fly without a broomstick, and Danny couldn't help but launch into a full out lecture at the note of wistfulness in the man's voice.

Unfortunately, there were also constant reminders of what he'd lost throughout the meal. Ron and Hermione's bickering, for one, painfully reminded Danny of Sam and Tucker, while Ginny's motherliness and thoughtfulness made him almost call her Jazz numerous times, only just managing to catch himself before he slipped.

However, when Ginny asked him for the third time if he wanted anything else to eat, he lost his patience, and his control.

"I'm _fine_, Jazz!" He snapped, then went bright red when he realized what happened. Everyone looked at him curiously, and only with the greatest amount of self control did Danny avoid going invisible instinctively.

"Who's Jazz?" Ginny asked curiously.

A vision of his sister gagged and tied to the about to explode Nasty Sauce tank assaulted him; he could almost see the fear and desperation in her eyes as she realized that he wasn't going to get to them in time. Danny squeezed his eyes shut and mentally shook himself.

"Jazz is—_was_ my sister," he managed to choke out, past the solid mass of pain that had settled over his heart.

For a while, nobody spoke, and then Ron asked, "What happened?"

This time, it felt as though Danny had transported back through time (again): he could feel his bones and muscles shaking with fatigue and fear, he could smell the burning Nasty Sauce, he could hear his family's desperate whimpers through their gags, and he could see the destruction and desolation everywhere. He watched the timer tick down, felt the force of the blast—

"No," he said quietly, ending the hallucination and the conversation. "I don't want to talk about it." He pushed his plate away, said "Excuse me" to his hosts, and winked out of sight, turning invisible and running to the guest room.

* * *

"Danny? Can I come in?" Harry asked, quietly knocking on the guest room door. Dinner was over, the mood soured by the abruptness of Danny's disappearance, and by unanimous vote, Harry had been selected to make sure that the teen was all right.

_If he's even here anymore,_ Harry thought despondently, growing increasingly worried by the silence behind the door.

"Danny, I'd like to talk with you, if you don't mind," he tried again, rapping a bit louder now. Still silence, and Harry was now officially worried.

"_Alohamora_," he whispered, tapping the doorknob with his wand. The door unlocked, and Harry quietly went inside.

The first thing he noticed was that Danny's duffel bag and backpack were still packed, sitting on the floor next to the bed and within easy reach. The next thing he noticed was that the mirror was covered, the t-shirt that Danny had been wearing earlier thrown over it. The third thing that Harry noticed was Danny himself.

With the teen's shirt off and the light from the hallway flooding the small room, the wizard had a marvelous view of the many cuts and bruises decorating the halfa's torso, all in various stages of healing. The boy himself didn't seem to notice his injuries, but was sitting on the bed, feet on the floor, elbows on his knees, and face in his hands. Beside him was a stuffed bear dressed in a scientist's lab coat and sporting a whole head of wild white "hair", and a picture frame.

Without a word, Harry crossed the room and sat down next to Danny. He picked up the picture, studied it for a second, and then quietly said, as though he were commenting on the weather, "I'm an orphan too, you know."

Danny sat up and fixed Harry with incredulous, red-rimmed eyes. "No way," he whispered.

Harry nodded. "My parents were murdered by the greatest Dark wizard of the century when I was a year old," he said gravely. "For the next ten years, I didn't know what they looked like, what they sounded like, or even what their names were. All I knew was that they'd died in a car crash, and even that was a lie, fed to me by my aunt and uncle, who hated magic and hated the fact that they got stuck "raising" me."

Then he smiled. "When I was eleven, I started at Hogwarts, where all witches and wizards go to learn magic, and one of my friends gave me a photo album with pictures of my mum and dad. For the first time, I could see what everyone meant when they told me that I looked just like my dad, but with my mum's eyes."

He sighed, and mirrored Danny's posture, resting his elbows on his knees and looking at the floor. "When I was thirteen, I met my godfather, Sirius Black. He'd been my dad's best friend, and for a while, I was able to dream about leaving my relatives and living with him. He died when I was fifteen, murdered right in front of me."

He turned and looked Danny in the eye. "Danny, I understand what you're going through, because I've been there myself, more times than I care to remember. It still hurts to think about the series of mistakes I made that led to Sirius's death, and the things that I could've done that could've prevented it. But in time, I learned to move on, to move past the pain. I named my son after my father and godfather, and he's every bit as mischievous and energetic as they were. And that's enough for me."

Danny sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Does it ever stop?" He asked in a small voice. "Does the pain ever go away?"

Harry shook his head. "I'm sorry, Danny, but it doesn't," he said gently. "Given time, it'll fade, the way the pain of a broken leg will fade as it heals, but you'll still feel it sometimes. The hardest part is not letting the pain take over your life, but you don't have to do it alone. Ginny, Ron, Hermione, and I are here for you, if and when you need us. You're not alone."

Danny blinked. "I… thank you," he said, blushing a bit, "but you don't have to—"

"Danny, part of my job is helping people in trouble," Harry said firmly, cutting the teenager off. "Not only that, my mother-in-law would have my hide, and between you and me, I'd rather face a mob of Dark wizards than Ginny's mum when she's pissed."

There it was— the faintest flicker of a smile on Danny's face, there and gone in less time it took to blink. The teenager nodded.

"Thank you," he whispered.

"No problem," Harry replied, smiling reassuringly. Then he grew serious, and looked Danny in the eye. "Now, is that roadmap on your upper half the reason your foster dad's such a slimy git?"

The glare Harry got could've made even Voldemort run and crawl back under his rock in terror.

"Among other things," Danny growled.

Harry's frown deepened. "Tell me," he said quietly, his voice rock hard.

Danny sighed, and began to explain the insanely tangled mess that was his relationship to Vlad Masters, his foster father. His voice was dry and matter-of-fact, and Harry recognized the tone from when he talked about the Dursleys, however rarely that was. When Danny told him that Vlad was a half-ghost as well, Harry realized with a shock that the Ministry had been watching the wrong man.

_We should've paid more attention to this Masters character than to Danny,_ he thought, mentally smacking himself on the head. _We're a bunch of fools; we could've saved this kid so much pain and hardship._

"He hasn't found me yet, but it's still too early to tell," Danny was saying as Harry forced his thoughts to the back of his head and refocused. "Barth's going to hold him off as long as possible, but eventually he's going to find me."

"Fat chance," Harry said firmly, causing Danny to blink in surprise at his tone. The older man smirked. "Danny, Aurors are famous for their paranoia, which comes from having to hunt down some of the nastiest witches and wizards and dark creatures to walk this earth. A lot of us, like Ron and I, have wives, and even children, to protect, and protect them we do. It's standard procedure to make an Auror's house Unplottable, which means that it's impossible to find on a map. We have passwords on all the doors, and it's impossible to break in by force. This Masters person would have to stand on the porch and ask to come in, and after I tell Ginny what you've told me, he'll be blasted on the spot. This is probably one of the safest places for you to be right now."

Danny bit his lip and looked at the floor, uncertain. Harry sighed to himself, but was unsurprised. He knew how hard it was to trust anyone after losing the people you trusted the most.

Finally, the teenager met his eyes. "All right, but I reserve the right to take off the second I think it's unsafe," he said firmly. He saw that Harry was about to protest, and moved to cut him off completely. "No, it'll be better for all of us, trust me. Vlad won't do anything to you or your family if I'm not around, he'll focus on me. It's better that I keep his attention elsewhere than stay and risk you guys getting caught in the crossfire."

Seeing that there was no arguing with the halfa, Harry closed his mouth and nodded. "Deal, although I hope you'll come to reconsider," he said.

Danny nodded, his expression solid and his blue eyes hard.

"Everyone was worried about you, y'know," Harry said, changing the subject. "Hermione nearly killed Ron after you left, and Ginny nearly threw me up here to check on you."

Danny reddened and looked down at the floor again. "Sorry," he murmured, "I just needed to get out of there, before I did something even more stupid."

"No, don't be sorry," Harry said quickly. "I would've done exactly the same thing. I have, on occasion. But everyone's really worried about you, and I think it would be a good idea if you at least made an appearance, maybe have dessert with us or something. If you want, we can gag Ron and Hermione, to keep them from asking uncomfortable questions. A Silencing Charm should do the trick, although Ginny and I may have to gang up on Hermione to make it strong enough. She's been known to break single strength ones."

Danny looked at him cluelessly. "Dude, I have no idea what you just said," he said seriously. "But I'll think about it. I just need to cool down a bit and get my head back on."

Harry nodded. "I'll leave you to it, then," he said. He got up, and went to the door before stopping and turning back to the teenager.

"If you ever need to talk, Danny, I'll listen," he said quietly. "Don't keep your feelings bottled up, because then the pressure will cause you to explode. Whenever you need to vent, come find me."

Danny nodded gravely. "Thanks, Harry," he said. "I'll keep that in mind."

Harry shot him a grin and left, going back downstairs to his wife and friends. A few minutes later, Danny followed, and the rest of the night went on like nothing had happened.


	5. Along Came A Stranger

Walk Three Worlds  
A Danny Phantom/Harry Potter Fanfic  
By CaelumFelis  
Disclaimer: I don't own Danny Phantom or Harry Potter or anything associated with them.

* * *

**Chapter 5: Along Came a Stranger**

Danny didn't have a clue how it happened, but come September, he found himself starting his sophomore year of high school at Godric's Hollow Secondary, in Year Ten. He didn't want to know how many strings Harry had pulled to get his transcripts from Casper High, his old school, nor did he care to imagine the expression on the wizard's face when he saw how awful the grades were. A week before term began, Ginny and Hermione took him out shopping for school supplies, and they nearly lost Hermione in the bookstore.

The first day of term, Harry walked Danny through the village to the school.

"Nervous, Danny?" Harry asked cheerfully, easily catching hold of the teen's sleeve as he turned invisible for the third time that morning.

"Y'think?" Came the whispered reply, practically quaking with anxiety as they approached the large, three story brick building. "I'm new blood; the school assholes are going to be all over me."

Harry winced. "I guess your old school had a bullying problem?" He asked. "And you need to be visible now, we're almost there."

Danny winked into view, tugging at the tie that was part of his school uniform. "Yeah, they let the school jocks and cheerleaders get away with murder," he grumbled, "but at least they didn't make us wear uniforms. They would've had a full scale revolution on their hands then."

"Yeah, I'd imagine so," Harry laughed. "Okay, here we are. Hopefully Ginny'll be home when you're done, but if she isn't, the password for the front door is "Snuffles". You remember the way back?" Danny nodded. "Good. Your lunch is in your bag."

"Ginny didn't pack it, did she?" Danny asked worriedly. After a few weeks of living with the Potters, Danny had quickly learned not to trust anything Ginny put in front of him.

"No, I packed it," Harry reassured him.

"Thanks," Danny said gratefully.

Harry smiled. "Get going, mate," he said, lightly touching the teenager on the shoulder. "Learn to smile again."

Danny nodded gravely. "I'll try," he mumbled, then turned and disappeared into the crowd.

Harry watched him go, and waited until all of the kids had gone inside before Disapprating away.

* * *

Aly McKos thought she knew everyone in Godric's Hollow, until a tall, slim, black-haired boy with the saddest blue eyes she'd ever seen entered her Year Ten World History classroom. He looked around for a second, then chose a seat in the middle of the last row, away from the attention of the other kids.

"You're in my seat."

Or so he'd thought. The petite, blonde fifteen-year-old watched with growing dread as Jace Dovish, the rather rotund son of the wealthiest man in the village, waddled up to the new boy and snarled at him. She held her breath as the boy turned and studied him. The sadness was gone from his eyes, replaced with a cold, calculating blue stare that sent shivers down her spine.

"Sorry, I didn't know this seat was reserved," the boy said quietly, with a pronounced American accent. His voice echoed with weary acceptance, and Aly wondered how many times he'd been in this exact situation.

"So you must be new here," Jace sneered. "I've seen you around the village. You're that runaway punk those weirdoes the Potters took in. What happened, you get tired of your own parents? Must've been bad for you to go scurrying across the pond to the _Potters_, of all people."

The boy frowned. "I don't believe I caught your name," he said, his voice now carrying a hard, chilling frost behind it.

Jace blinked, then puffed himself up like a peacock and smirked at the boy. "I'm Dovish. Jace Dovish."

"Danny Fenton," said the stranger. "Now, would you mind finding somewhere else to sit? Class is about to start."

"Not until you get out of _my_ seat," Jace snarled.

The new boy, Danny, deepened his frown, his jaw setting and his eyes narrowing as he met Jace's stubborn dark glare. Aly was suddenly reminded of two cats, the fat, pampered housecat, and the lean, fierce alley cat, facing off for territory. She could almost see their tails flickering behind them.

"Excuse me," Danny said icily, "but what does it matter if you sit here, or somewhere else? A seat is a seat. I'm here now, next class I'll be somewhere else. It's not a big deal."

"It's a big deal because that's MY seat!" Jace bellowed, causing Aly to recall the housecat's furious yowls when it discovered the alley cat.

"Aren't you kind of old to be throwing a temper tantrum?" Danny asked blithely. Aly had to admire his nerve. This alley cat certainly had guts; few people had the courage to stand up to Jace Dovish.

_And with good reason_, Aly thought, mentally sighing as Jace's pudgy, doughy face reddened and he drew himself up to his full height, all of five feet. He started viciously browbeating the new guy vocally, calling him every name and slinging every insult he could think of (which was quite a lot, Aly realized as she listened), while the alley cat just listened with a bored-bordering-on-annoyed expression on his face. This just made Jace angrier, and he made a comment about Danny's mother that shocked even Aly, who'd thought she'd heard everything Jace could come up with.

Therefore, she could hardly blame Danny for what he did next, although it happened so quickly that she barely saw it. One minute Danny appeared to be simply tuning Jace out, the next he was standing over the pudgy boy and massaging his fist, as Jace sat on the floor at his feet, nursing a bloody nose. Danny's eyes blazed, and Aly could feel his fury all the way in her second-row seat.

_And so the claws come out_, she thought wryly.

"Fenton!" The history professor cried, deciding to pick this particular moment to make his entrance. "No fighting in school! To the headmaster's office, _now!_ Miss McKos, show him the way."

"Yes, Professor," Aly said meekly, keeping her head down as she gathered her things.

"_Never_ insult my family again, Dovish," she heard Danny snarl as the professor scurried to the bleeding boy's side.

"Headmaster's _now_, Fenton!" The professor snapped.

Danny gave Jace a look of pure disgust, and followed Aly out of the classroom.

In the silence of the hallway, Aly had the peace and quiet she needed to really take stock of the newcomer. She lowered her mental shields just a bit, and was almost immediately overloaded with the huge flood of emotions coming from him: frustration, rage, pride, satisfaction, remorse, anxiety, fear… guilt? And more than enough depression and hopelessness to make an army of Dementors very happy. Aly blinked, closed her shields, and studied Danny's face. Aside from the fury at the insult to his mom and some resignation, there was nothing to betray the veritable roller coaster of emotions inside him. She had to give the new guy credit, no one but an empath like her or a witch or wizard skilled in Legilimency could've seen past that perfect mask.

"Take a picture, it'll last longer," Danny said tersely, startling Aly out of her musings.

"Oh, sorry," she mumbled, looking at the floor. They continued walking in silence, until Aly plucked up enough nerve to say, "That was brilliant, punching out Dovish like that."

"Certainly _felt_ brilliant," Danny grumbled, studying his hand. "Crap, I think I cracked a knuckle. That kid's head is _hard!_"

Aly giggled. "Surprising, isn't it?" She said. "With all the sweets and junk food he eats, you'd expect him to be soft as toffee. I'm Aly, by the way, Aly McKos."

"Danny Fenton," Danny muttered distractedly, still examining his hand and frowning.

"When you're done with the headmaster, I'll show you the infirmary," Aly offered.

Danny gave her a warm look, though he didn't smile. "Thanks," he said gratefully.

"No problem," Aly said, smiling.

* * *

"Chris!"

The chestnut haired fifteen year old turned at the sound of his name, spotting the speaker, his good friend and neighbor Aly, at a table in the corner of the school lunchroom. Beside her, trying his best to blend into the brick wall behind him, was a black-haired teen Chris had never seen before. He smiled and went over to them, ignoring how out-of-the-way their table was.

"Hey, Aly," he said, setting his tray down across from them and sitting down. "Who's your friend?" He suddenly had the distinct feeling of being watched, and met a pair of wary blue eyes, startling in their brilliance and strange in their guardedness.

_It's like he expects me to pull a weapon on him or something_, Chris thought. _What's the police term? Oh yeah— he's gun-shy. But he doesn't seem scared, really; more like… careful. How strange._

"Chris Glock," he said, holding out his hand for the other boy to shake.

"Danny Fenton," the new guy said quietly, flinching the tiniest bit as Chris moved, then taking the other teen's hand in a gentle but very firm grip.

"Oh yeah, the American," Chris remembered. "You're the kid the Potters took in. Great people, the Potters. Really nice and friendly. My older brother has a huge crush on the missus. Stunning, she is."

"And Mr. Potter isn't that hard on the eyes, either," Aly put in, getting a dreamy look in her hazel eyes.

"Yeah, Harry and Ginny have been really great," Danny said quietly, looking down at the enormous turkey sandwich in his hands.

"So Danny, where're you from?" Chris asked.

"Illinois, Amity Park," Danny replied.

"That's a trek," Chris commented. "What made you decide to come all the way to Godric's Hollow? Can't have been for the food." He glanced down at the pile of brownish yellow sludge called "macaroni and cheese" sitting on his tray.

Danny shrugged. "It's a new place," he said simply, his tone slightly evasive. "A new place, that doesn't hold any memories. A new start."

Chris glanced at Aly, who was frowning at Danny, confusion glimmering in her hazel eyes.

"Some new start," she remarked, her voice wobbling a bit, "getting detention on the first day of class!"

Danny looked up and frowned at her, his blue eyes flashing. "How is that any of _your_ business?" He asked coldly.

Chris frowned. "You don't seem like the type to get detention on the first day, much less at all," he said, wondering if his impression had been incorrect. "What'd you do?"

"He gave Jace Dovish a bloody nose!" Aly reported, grinning widely. "Chris, this guy has the fastest right hook I've ever seen!"

Chris's eyebrows went up, and he smiled. "Brilliant!" He told Danny, his respect for the newcomer rocketing up immediately. "Whatever that little prick said to you, he probably deserved it."

Danny's face darkened, and he scowled at his sandwich. "Asshole made a crack about my mom," he growled. He quickly finished eating, threw his trash away, and left the lunchroom, hands in his pockets.

Chris waited until Danny was out of earshot before turning to his fellow Squib. "What's your read on him?" He asked.

Aly bit her lip. "He's very, very sad, and scared out of his mind," she said quietly, "but I don't know why. Whatever it is, though, it's causing him to push everyone away, which is why he's so quiet and curt. I think he'd actually be a very sweet, nice person if he wasn't so pent up."

Chris frowned, his brown eyes darkening. "Poor chap," he said. "I hope he'll be all right."

"I wish there was something we could do to help cheer him up," Aly sighed, picking at her lunch. "With his attitude, nobody's going to want to be friends with him."

"Isn't that the point?" Chris asked. "You said yourself that he's pushing people away because he's scared and sad. We can help by not letting him chase us away."

Aly grinned at him. "I was hoping you'd say that," she said. Then she gave him a puzzled look. "You're not usually so keen on being friends with outsiders, Chris," she said. "What gives?"

Chris frowned, puzzled himself. "I'm not really sure," he said slowly, "but something about Danny just screams "Help Me!". He kind of reminds me of a kicked dog that needs to learn how to trust people again. The guy needs as many friends as he can get."

* * *

Danny groaned inwardly when he saw that both Chris and Aly were in his last period English class. So far, Aly was in all three of his previous classes, but this was the first (and hopefully only) class he had with both Aly and her friend.

It wasn't that they were mean or spiteful to him— just the opposite, in fact. Danny couldn't remember the last time he had met someone as kind and thoughtful as the petite, blonde-haired girl, except possibly Ginny Potter, or Barth, but Danny refused to think about the elderly butler ghost and the period of time he had known him. No, it was exactly this kindness and thoughtfulness that had Danny on edge, because it was too easy to become comfortable with Aly, and it brought back far too many memories. And questions. So, so many questions. It seemed that Aly McKos was a veritable fountain of inquiries. Innocent ones like "What's your favorite color/book/movie/band?" were easy, but Danny came to dread the harder, more sensitive questions, about his family and friends back "home", and the reason he had come to England. Two class periods of this had made him want to go invisible and intangible and fly as far away as he could, but he'd managed to control himself.

This time, however, Chris seemed to keep Aly's questions to a minimum, and didn't ask any himself. He seemed to accept that Danny wanted them to know as little about him as possible for the time being, and for that, Danny was very grateful.

For once, Danny couldn't think of anyone he'd known to compare to Chris. At first he'd reminded the halfa of all the jocks he'd known in Casper High, but immediately realized that if Chris was truly like that, he wouldn't have been caught dead anywhere near the new guy and a bookworm like Aly. He was obviously an athlete: tall, sturdily built, with a barrel chest and massive shoulders. Physically, he reminded Danny a lot of Dash Baxter, but he could see plainly by the way Chris paid the utmost attention in class and quickly got into the swing of taking notes that he had a lot more between his ears than Casper High's star quarterback. He also seemed to be a stickler for rules, judging by the way he'd frowned at Danny during lunch after learning that the halfa had gotten detention on the first day of school. He had no patience with Jace Dovish, who was also in the class, and to Danny's surprise, the jock actually fended the bully off when he'd tried to pick on the new kid again.

The class passed by quickly, and as soon as the final bell of the day had rung, Danny ditched his new acquaintances, found a private place to transform, and flew back to the Potter house.

He had barely alighted on the front stoop and transformed when the door opened, and out barreled a little boy with dirty overalls and… turquoise hair?

"Oof!" Grunted Danny as the strange little kid crashed into him, sending both of them flying off the stoop and onto the ground.

"Danny! Ted Remus Lupin, get off of him this instant!" Ginny's voice cried.

"Yes, Aunt Ginny," the little boy, Ted, replied, rolling off of Danny and sitting on the ground next to the winded teenager. Ginny crouched on Danny's other side, helping him sit up.

"Sorry about Teddy here, Danny," she said apologetically. "He doesn't always look where he's going."

"No harm done," Danny groaned, holding his chest and wheezing a bit. "Ever consider the NFL as a career, kid? They could probably use a tackler like you." He glanced over at the little boy, who was staring at him with wide turquoise eyes.

"Hi!" He said suddenly, breaking out into a huge, ear to ear grin. "My name's Teddy. What's your name?"

Danny blinked, still trying to process the turquoise hair. "I'm Danny," he said dumbly. He turned to Ginny. "Isn't he a little young to be dying his hair like that?" He asked.

Ginny laughed. "Believe it or not, Danny, but that's his natural color," she said. "Or at least, it is today. Tomorrow it could be lavender, or pink, or light blue. He seems to favor pastel colors."

"Can I show him, Aunt Ginny?" Teddy asked, practically bouncing up and down in excitement and eagerness. "Please please please? With fifty Chocolate Frogs and whipped cream and twenty cherries on top?"

Ginny glanced at Danny, and saw for the first time a small, tentative half-smile on the usually stoic teen's face. She smiled as well and nodded at Teddy.

"Yay!" Teddy cried happily. "Looky, Danny, looky! Watch what I can do!" Then, with closed eyes and a look of utmost concentration on his face, the little boy's hair slowly went from turquoise to a pale orange, the color of an orange smoothie.

Danny's eyes nearly popped out of his head. "How'd you do that?" He asked excitedly. "That was really, really cool!"

"Thank you!" Teddy said, looking extremely pleased with himself. "My mum was a Meta-morph-magus," he explained, pronouncing the word carefully, "and she passed it down to me. But guess what?" Teddy grinned conspiratorially, turquoise eyes dancing.

"What?" Danny asked, playing along by lowering his voice.

"Uncle Harry says that my dad was a _werewolf!_" Teddy announced proudly, and Danny blinked, wondering if he'd heard right.

"A werewolf?" He said, and Teddy nodded proudly.

"Uncle Harry says that my dad was the best werewolf in the whole world," Teddy said. "He said that Dad loved my mum so much that he didn't want to marry her at first, because he didn't want to hurt her. And then when they found out that they were going to have me, Dad was scared that I would turn out to be a werewolf like him. He was so happy when he found out that I was like Mum."

"Where's your mom and dad now?" Danny asked, caught up in Teddy's enthusiasm.

"They're dead," Teddy said sadly, "Mum and Dad both. They died fighting You-Know-Who himself! My mum and dad were heroes!" The naïve, innocent pride was back, completely undaunted. "Where's your mum and dad, Danny? Are they dead too?"

Maybe it was the fact that the question came from a little kid, instead of from a fellow teenager or an adult, but for once, Danny didn't try to dodge it.

"Yeah," he said quietly, looking at the ground. "They're dead too. My mom, my dad, my sister, and my two best friends… they're all gone. They died right in front of me, and I couldn't do anything about it. I couldn't save them."

He suddenly felt a small pair of arms wrap around him, and, startled, he looked down to see a head of creamy orange hair pressed against his chest.

"I'm sorry, Danny," the younger boy sniffled, hugging the teenager tightly. "Are you okay? I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings."

Completely taken aback, Danny did the only thing he could think of— he returned the hug.

"I'm not okay, Teddy, but I'm getting there," he said quietly. "Thank you for caring about me. And I'm sorry about your parents."

"It's okay!" Teddy chirped, grinning at him. "My mum and dad died right after I was born, so I don't have anything to miss."

Danny nodded; in a twisted kind of way, that made a lot of sense. "So was your mom or dad Harry's older brother or sister?" He asked, changing the subject slightly.

Teddy shook his head. "Nope!" He said brightly. "My dad was best friends with Uncle Harry's dad since they were kids! Then Uncle Harry met Dad when he was thirteen, and they were friends until Dad died. Uncle Harry's my god-dad, but I don't live with him and Aunt Ginny. I live with my Gram, but I visit Uncle Harry and Aunt Ginny a lot. Uncle Harry's the only one who can tell me stories about Dad. Gram didn't like Dad very much, so she doesn't talk about him."

"Oh," said Danny, feeling kind of sorry for the kid.

"Danny, do you have any homework?" Ginny asked suddenly. Danny jumped a bit; he'd forgotten that she was there.

"Just some reading, but I can do it after dinner," he replied.

Ginny nodded. "All right," she said, "you can work in my office after supper. Let's go inside, boys, it's getting late."

"Danny, can you play Exploding Snap?" Teddy asked as they went in.

"What's that?" Danny asked.

The grin on Teddy's face was terrifying.

* * *

When Harry entered his family room at half-past six that evening, he was met with an astonishing sight.

His seven-year-old godson was grinning maniacally, beating the pants off of his fifteen-year-old ward at poker. Danny's eyes were wide with shock as Teddy produced a Royal Flush and happily collected his winnings, which consisted of everything from wizarding gold to American and British Muggle money.

"I'm rich!" The little boy cried happily.

"You're evil," Danny muttered.

Harry burst out laughing.

The two boys looked up, Teddy showing his guilt clearly on his face, and Danny's impassive mask sliding into place over his own guilt.

"Hi Uncle Harry," Teddy said quietly, nervous.

"Teddy Lupin, who on earth taught you how to play poker?" Harry asked, his tone light and cheerful, but his bright green eyes flashing dangerously behind his glasses.

Teddy fidgeted uncomfortably and looked at the ground. "Uncle George and Uncle Charlie," he said, naming two of Ginny's older brothers. "They were playing at Grandpa Arthur's birthday party, and I asked them to teach me. And I asked Danny to play me. I taught him how to play Exploding Snap!" He grinned at Harry hopefully, as though that sentence alone overrode the fact that he and Danny were playing poker.

Harry eyed the seven year old for a bit longer, before breaking out into a grin and pulling up a chair. "Who's the dealer?" He asked cheekily.

They played until Ginny called them in to dinner, and upon finding out that her husband, godson, and ward were all gambling, forced them to eat her cooking as punishment. Harry ended up cleaning both boys out of all the money they had, and all three suffered indigestion for the rest of the night.


	6. Allies and Reunions

Walk Three Worlds  
A Danny Phantom/Harry Potter Fanfic  
By CaelumFelis  
Disclaimer: I don't own Danny Phantom or Harry Potter or anything associated with them.

* * *

**Chapter 6: Unexpected Allies and Unanticipated Reunions**

"Danny! Hey, Danny!" Aly cried, waving excitedly. Danny rolled his eyes, wishing there was some way to avoid the blonde, but she had effectively placed herself in a spot that was completely out in the open, at the intersection of their two streets, and unless he wanted to blow his secret to the entire town, he would have to let her walk with him.

It had been just about a week since school had started, and Danny was slowly going insane. Chris and Aly, either separately or together, were in all of his classes, and they refused to leave him alone, no matter what Danny did or said. It was a problem, because on the one hand, since leaving Green Bay Danny had come to the conclusion that it was simply too dangerous for anyone to be close to him. Harry and Ginny could defend themselves, James, and Teddy well enough, but Danny couldn't guarantee the safety of the two kids who seemed to have firmly attached themselves to him, and therefore tried his darnedest to discourage them from wanting to hang out with him.

On the other hand, as Danny reluctantly grew to know them more each day, he found himself actually looking forward to Chris's lectures on police procedure and complaints about the Godric's Hollow constables, who he called "idiotic neophytes" (whatever that meant), and Aly's daydreams of owning her own medical practice and her random spouting of passages from medical books, although he considered it an accomplishment if he understood one word out of twenty.

On the third hand (simply because Danny was Danny and therefore _nothing_ was simple), he felt like he was betraying Tucker and Sam and their years of friendship by entertaining the notion of becoming friends with Chris and Aly. The feeling terrified him, and it was really this fear, more than anything else, that caused him to push the other kids (and the Potters, to an extent) away.

"Hey, you okay?"

Danny blinked, his thoughts interrupted by Aly's concerned question. "Yeah, why?" He asked gruffly, immediately setting himself to the task of chasing the girl off.

If Aly was hurt by his tone, she didn't show it, smiling gently instead. "Nothing, you just seemed to be off in a different world," she said simply. "Excited for the weekend?"

"Ecstatic," Danny grumped, feigning indifference. He actually was excited- Harry had promised to take him and Teddy to Diagon Alley, and after seeing all the odds and ends Harry and Ginny had that had come from the wizarding marketplace, Danny couldn't wait to see the place itself.

"Hey you two," said Chris, coming up to Aly and Danny from his own street. "Happy TGIF!"

Aly laughed, and Danny snorted. They started towards school, Aly and Chris chatting away merrily, and Danny debating the pros and cons of simply turning invisible and making a break for it.

"FENTON!"

Danny started and whirled around, only to come face to forehead with Jace Dovish. He sighed, and mentally braced himself for the barrage of vocal attacks.

"What do you want, Dovish?" He asked wearily.

Jace smirked at him, his dark, piggish eyes narrowing slyly. "Oh, not much, Fenton, just the confirmation of some rumors that've been going around the village," he purred. "Is it true that your mum and dad were complete loons, chasing ghosts around like little birds to study?"

Danny's hackles raised, and he gritted his teeth, glaring at the shorter boy. "Don't talk about my parents that way, Dovish," he growled. Jace just grinned wider.

"Oh, so it _is_ true," he cackled, enjoying the rise he was getting out of Danny. "I feel sorry for you. Must've been hard, the only sane person in a house of lunatics. No wonder you left."

"Shut up, you moron!" Danny howled angrily, his fists clenching and his entire body tensing for a fight. He ignored the worried looks he was getting from Aly and Chris, and focused entirely on the fat, squat teenager with a death wish in front of him.

"Oh, are you going to pull one of your parents' stupid inventions on me?" Jace taunted. "Go on, I bet any one of those heaps of junk and scrap metal would blow up the second you tried to use it. Not only were your parents insane, they were terrible inventors, too. My dad met yours once, said he'd never again be in the same country as Jack Fenton. Guess he can go back to America now, since your dad got your entire family blown up—"

A fist practically on fire with glowing green ghost energy smashed into Jace's face, as Danny finally lost his temper. The sheer force of the blow sent Jace spinning around before he collapsed in a heap on the sidewalk, blood pouring out of his nose for the second time that week.

"You got a death wish, Dovish?" Danny snarled quietly, pinning the other boy to the sidewalk with a knee to his enormous gut and an arm topped with a glowing green fist placed just below his windpipe. Instead of the usual icy blue glare, his eyes glowed neon green and practically burned into Jace's impossibly wide dark eyes. The pudgy boy shook his head in answer to Danny's question, too frightened to speak.

"You sure? Because the way you were going on about my family, it sure seemed like it," Danny said, almost conversationally, but each word dropped into Jace's ears like an ice cube down his back, causing him to shiver with undisguised fear.

Danny smirked darkly, and whispered in Jace's ear. "Remember this, Jace Dovish," he said, "I am the last person on earth you want to mess with. Say anything about my family again, and next time I won't let you live to regret it. Am I clear?"

Jace blubbered like a scared baby and nodded, and Danny let him up. The halfa watched with growing remorse as the shorter boy ran the entire way back to his house.

"That wasn't necessary, you know," Chris said quietly behind him.

Danny sighed, closing his eyes and getting his temper back under control. When he opened his eyes again, they were blue once more, and the ghostly energy surrounding his fists was gone. "I know," he said quietly. "I lost my temper. Happens a lot. Sorry." He turned and started heading towards school again, leaving Chris and Aly behind. He'd only gotten a few steps when Aly's voice stopped him.

"Danny? What'd Jace mean when he said your dad got your entire family blown up?" She asked quietly.

He flinched at the words, even though the tone was one of gentle and worried curiosity, rather than spiteful and hurtful.

"I don't want to talk about it," he said roughly, not looking back. "Dovish doesn't have a clue what he's saying. And my family is nobody's business." He began walking again, and didn't stop until he reached the school building.

_This is gonna come back to bite me, I know it,_ Danny sighed to himself as he went inside.

* * *

And it did, right in the middle of second period math.

"_Daniel Fenton to the headmaster's office please,"_ the bored-sounding secretary called over the intercom. _"Daniel Fenton to the headmaster's office please. Thank you."_

"Well Fenton, get going," the professor sighed. Danny glared at him, before packing up his stuff and shouldering his bag. Aly shot him a thumbs up for good luck, but he ignored it, squared his shoulders, and strode from the room, his jaw set and his eyes hard.

He reached the headmaster's office quickly, and, cursing his traitorous feet, knocked on the door.

"Come in," a warm, if a bit frazzled, voice called. Danny took a deep breath and went inside, reminding himself that Professor Solomon had nothing on Vlad.

"Ah, Mr. Fenton, glad you could join us," the tall, slightly pot-bellied headmaster said, his tone professionally indifferent, but his piercing gray eyes kind and sympathetic. Danny nodded politely, his impassive mask never slipping.

A small squeak of terror sounded in the corner, and Danny turned to see Jace Dovish and an enormously fat man who could only be the chubby boy's father sitting on an overstuffed couch. Mr. Dovish had a protective arm around Jace's shoulders, and was studying Danny with frigid, navy blue eyes that reminded the halfa uncomfortably of Vlad's. Glancing at Jace, Danny was surprised and a bit proud to see that the bully's nose was bandaged.

_I must've broken the asshole's nose,_ he thought, equal parts happy and guilty. _I hope I didn't give him a concussion._

"Mr. Fenton, have a seat," Professor Solomon said, gesturing to one of the small armchairs in front of his desk. Gulping back memories of torturous chess games played in a chair not unlike the one being pointed to, Danny sat in the chair closest to the door, still braced for flight if needed.

"You as well, Mr. Dovish," Solomon told Jace, who yanked himself from his father's grasp and slunk sullenly over. He plopped gracelessly into the chair on Danny's left, causing the said piece of furniture to groan piteously in protest.

"Now, it seems that you two boys had a bit of an altercation this morning before school," Solomon began. "Care to explain what happened?"

Jace jumped right in, eager to get Danny in as much trouble as possible. "Sir, I was walking to school, just minding my own business—" Danny had to suppress a snort at that statement "—when _he_ came up to me, and without the least provocation, _broke my nose!_" He pointed a chunky finger at the cast protruding from the center of his chubby face. "Then he threatened to kill me and ran off."

Professor Solomon nodded solemnly. "Is this true, Mr. Fenton?" He asked Danny.

Danny looked at Jace, then at Mr. Dovish, then turned back to Professor Solomon. "Yes," he answered, his voice deadpan and emotionless.

Solomon, Jace, and Mr. Dovish all stared at him, but Danny kept his gaze down on his hands in his lap.

"I knew it!" Mr. Dovish snarled suddenly, jumping to his feet and causing the entire room to shake. "Professor Solomon, this boy is dangerous! He must be _expelled!"_

Danny jumped and looked at Mr. Dovish in shock. Expelled? For breaking a kid's nose? Hell, Dash once broke a kid's _arm_ and didn't even get detention!

_The first time I actually stand up for myself, I get expelled_, Danny thought sourly. _How's _that_ for rotten luck? Why does the universe hate me so much? Oh yeah. I let my family and friends get blown to kingdom come. That'll do it._

"Now hold on, Mr. Dovish," Professor Solomon said, frowning at the angry father. "I would like to hear Mr. Fenton's side of the story." Danny's eyes snapped over to his headmaster, whom he found eyeing him with concern.

_Is he… worried about me?_ Danny wondered.

"What's there to hear?" Mr. Dovish demanded. "He _admitted_ to attacking my son, Professor Solomon! He threatened to _kill_ my kid! You should expel him on the spot!"

Professor Solomon's eyes flashed dangerously. "Sir, you have made your opinion on the matter known, and I will take it into consideration," he said icily. "However, I would sincerely appreciate it if you would not presume to tell me how to run my school. Now, I would like to speak to Mr. Fenton alone. Kindly wait outside please, both of you."

Mr. Dovish went red, and his enormous face twisted into an angry snarl. "Come, Jaeson," he growled, and Jace dutifully followed his father out of the office, shutting the door behind him with a loud crack.

Professor Solomon sighed and shot Danny a wry smile. "Well, Mr. Fenton, you and I seemed to be getting to know each other quite well," he said jovially. "What's this, the third time you've been here?"

"Yes, sir," Danny murmured.

"I guess I should congratulate you, then," Solomon joked. "As of today, you hold the school record for most trips to this office in the first week of school." He sighed again, and his tone turned serious. "Mr. Fenton, I need to know your side of what happened this morning. This is a serious matter, and I need all of the facts to that I can decide the best course of action for everyone. You understand?"

Danny nodded. "I'm not going to get expelled, am I?" He asked nervously. "I couldn't do that to Harry, not after everything he's done for me."

"That's an extreme measure, one that I don't want to take unless I absolutely have to," Solomon replied. "Somehow, I doubt that this case will warrant expulsion. Now, if you please, Mr. Fenton."

Danny nodded. "Jace… he came up to me as Aly, Chris, and I were walking to school, and started talking trash about my parents," he said quietly. "I told him twice to shut up, but he wouldn't. Then he said… that it was my dad's fault that he and my mom and my sister died. I just lost it then, I couldn't stop myself. I just wanted him to shut up. He had no right to talk about my parents that way, but he wouldn't stop."

"I'd thought as much," Solomon sighed. "You don't seem like the type to go punching people for no reason. However, the fact remains that you caused bodily harm to another student, and this constitutes a severe breach of school rules. In light of your two previous offenses, I'm forced to take further disciplinary measures." He took out a long, slender cedar wand and pointed it at the small hearth behind his desk. Instantly, flames sprang up, and the headmaster took a small bag of sparkling green powder from his desk and threw a small handful into the fire.

"Mr. Potter, it's Professor David Solomon," he said into the now emerald green flames. "I'd like a word, if you don't mind."

He turned back to Danny, and smiled at how the teen's eyes were standing a foot from his face and his jaw was lying uselessly on the floor.

"I guess you didn't expect your headmaster to be a wizard as well, did you?" He chuckled. "Yes, it's not very often that I reveal myself to a Muggle student, but then yours is a special case."

Just then, a choking, coughing, soot-covered Harry Potter stumbled out of the fireplace, cursing as he cracked his head on the low clearance.

"Damn it all, I _hate_ Floo powder," he muttered darkly as he brushed himself off. Professor Solomon cleared his throat slightly, and Harry looked up to see the headmaster suppressing a smile, and Danny staring at him like he'd dropped in from Mars.

"Danny?" He asked, glancing from the older man to the teenager confusedly. At the sound of his name, the teen flinched and looked at the floor. "What's going on?"

"I hope I didn't interrupt anything important, Mr. Potter," Solomon said apologetically.

"No, not at all, just some paperwork that I'm very glad to get away from," Harry said absently, looking at Danny with concerned green eyes. "Is something wrong?"

"Unfortunately yes," Solomon sighed. "Please have a seat."

Harry did so, his concerned expression turning into worry. "What's this all about?" He asked quietly.

Solomon looked pointedly at Danny. "Mr. Fenton?"

Danny flinched again, and kept his gaze on the floor. "I… I broke Jace Dovish's nose," he murmured.

"What?" Harry gasped. Danny wouldn't hurt a fly if it bit him, so it was naturally a shock to hear that he'd assaulted someone. "When?"

Danny squirmed in his seat, fighting the urge to sink straight through the floor. "This morning," he muttered, "on the way to school."

Harry sensed that there was more to the story, and so said, in a quiet voice tinged with worry, "Danny, tell me what happened."

Never meeting his host's eyes, Danny relayed the events of that morning a second time, his voice monotone and expressionless. When he finished, Harry sighed and gently laid a hand on the boy's shoulder.

"Well mate, I can't really blame you for punching the little prick out," he said. "But I must say that I'm a bit disappointed that you didn't try to find a different way to handle it. However, we'll talk about that later." He turned to Solomon. "What happens now?" He asked gravely.

"Mr. Fenton is looking at a two week suspension for threatening and inflicting bodily harm upon another student," the headmaster said. "However, considering the situation and some of the factors involved, I think it would be safe to shorten it to just a week. If I had my druthers, Mr. Dovish would be serving that sentence along with you, but unfortunately the only consequence for verbal abuse of another student is a week's worth of detention. Nevertheless, I will see about arranging it so that you and Mr. Dovish will have as little contact as possible. I think that will be satisfactory, don't you?"

Harry nodded, while Danny could only gape at the man.

"I think that'll work," Harry said, smiling. He glanced at the teenager and chuckled. "Close your mouth, Danny, you look like a guppy."

Danny blinked and shut his mouth with a click.

Solomon smiled at him. "Does this arrangement meet with your approval, Mr. Fenton?" He asked.

Danny, who still couldn't speak, nodded slowly. Of all the outcomes he'd imagined, he'd never expected anything like this. For once, a teacher actually wanted to hear _his_ side, wanted to help instead of just punish. He felt his respect for Professor Solomon rocket upwards.

"Well, I guess we'd better inform Mr. and Mr. Dovish about the final developments, then," the headmaster said. He stood and poked his head out the door. He spoke quietly for a second, then sat back down at his desk. He gave Harry a pointed look, but the younger wizard was already in the process of Transfiguring his robes into Muggle clothes, and finished just as the Dovishes entered. He now wore simple blue jeans and a plain gray t-shirt, made a bit more professional looking by a navy blue sports jacket. His wand went into an inner pocket of the jacket mere seconds before Mr. Dovish entered.

"Potter," the incredibly rotund man snarled

"Dovish," Harry said evenly, his brilliant green eyes cool. "How's the firm going?"

"Could've been better, especially if I hadn't been called out of an important meeting to deal with _this_ mess," Dovish grumbled.

Harry frowned. "Such is the price of putting your family first," he said quietly.

"I would hardly call this a "family matter"," Dovish sneered, glancing at Danny, who looked at the floor and bit his lip to stop himself from going invisible. "After all, you aren't even related to this felon, are you, Potter?"

Harry's eyes flashed dangerously, and he was on his feet before anyone could blink.

"How dare you," he hissed, before he noticed Danny's pleading look and restraining hand on his arm.

"Harry," the teenager said quietly. "Stop. They're not worth it."

"Gentlemen, please remember where you are," Solomon cut in, his tone cold and biting as he eyed the two men. Harry blinked and sat down again, hating the way Dovish smirked, and not missing the tiny sigh of relief that escaped from his ward.

"Well? Are you going to expel this delinquent or not?" Dovish demanded.

Solomon frowned. "No, Mr. Dovish, I'm not," he said. "There is no legitimate reason to expel Mr. Fenton—"

"No legitimate reason!" Dovish spluttered. "There's every reason to expel him! He _assaulted_ my son—"

"The consequence of which is two weeks suspension," Solomon cut him off smoothly. "However, Mr. Fenton is to serve one week, due to his acting under extreme provocation."

"Whose provocation?" Dovish hissed, his enormous face nearly purple with rage.

"Your son's, Mr. Dovish," Solomon said icily. "The consequence for one student verbally abusing another is a week of detention. Starting today, Jaeson is to stay after school for two hours to serve his detention."

"You can't do that," Dovish growled.

"I can and I will, Mr. Dovish," Solomon snapped. "And if I must personally ensure that Jaeson carries out his sentence, I will do that as well. I will not tolerate _any_ form of abuse in my school, Mr. Dovish, and I am prepared to take measures to prevent it. Gentlemen, you are all excused. Jaeson, you may head to class, second period, I believe." The bell rang suddenly, causing everyone to jump. "Make that third. Off you go."

"Jaeson! We're going home," Dovish barked, turning on his heel and heading for the door. "This school has become unsuitable for our needs, Professor," he threw over his shoulder. "As of today, I am transferring my son to someplace more _acceptable_. Good day." They left, slamming the door behind them.

"Good riddance," Solomon muttered. Harry cracked up, and Danny stared at the headmaster in wonder.

"Well, that's that," the older wizard said, shooting the younger and the teen a wry smile. "You two are free to go as well, and thank you for your cooperation."

"Sir," Danny said hesitantly, "if Jace's gonna drop out and transfer somewhere else, does this mean that I'm still suspended?"

"Unfortunately yes, Mr. Fenton," Solomon replied. "However, since the problem seems to have solved itself, I don't see the point of your serving even a week. I think we can get away with just sending you home early and have done with it. Consider it an early start to your weekend."

Danny nearly fainted with relief and happiness. "Th-thank you, sir," he stammered. "I really, really appreciate this. Thank you so much."

"Not at all, Mr. Fenton," Solomon said as Danny and Harry got up to go. "And Danny—I hope that this is the last time you're brought to this office by force."

Danny nodded, his eyes shining. "Count on it," he said firmly. "Bye, Professor!" He practically skipped out the door.

Harry chuckled. "I think that's the first time I've seen him so happy," he said. "Thanks a lot, David."

"My pleasure, Harry," Solomon said. "The last thing that boy needs is any more reason to be negative. Give my regards to the missus and the little one."

"Will do," Harry replied. "See you."

"Have a good day."

* * *

Aly stood nervously on the Potters' front porch, hugging the folder of notes and worksheets to her chest as she knocked on the door. She hadn't seen Danny since he'd been called to the headmaster's second period. She and Chris had compared notes during lunch, and surmised that Danny had probably been suspended from school.

The door opened, and Aly found herself face to chest for the first time with Harry Potter, the hero of the wizarding world.

"Mr. Potter!" She squeaked in surprise, looking up at the wizard's impressive green eyes. "Hi! Is Danny around?"

Mr. Potter chuckled. "Call me Harry, please," he said warmly. "Danny's indisposed at the moment. What can I do for you?"

"Well, he wasn't in class after second period, and I was sort of worried about him, so I thought I'd stop by and check up on him and give him his homework," she babbled, holding out the folder.

Harry took it and smiled at her. "That's very considerate of you, Miss—"

"McKos," Aly supplied. "Aly McKos. My parents are the resident magical healers in the Hollow."

"Oh, yes, I remember now," Harry said. "I've been to your parents, they're very good. Tell them I said hi, will you?"

"Of course!" Aly chirped, grinning happily. "Speaking of parents, I'd better get home before they wonder where I am. Tell Danny I stopped by, would you please?"

"Absolutely," the wizard replied, returning her grin with one of his own. "Take care now."

"Thanks, bye!" Aly practically danced the entire way back to her house, ecstatic to have finally met the great Harry Potter.

* * *

Danny entered the kitchen on the hunt for a drink after the long shower he'd just finished to find Harry sitting at the table, a folder of papers in front of him and a contemplative expression on his face.

"Work?" Danny asked, going to the old-fashioned icebox.

"For you," The wizard answered. "Homework for today. Aly McKos dropped it off for you."

Danny grunted indifferently and cursed as he realized that they were out of Diet Coke.

"So aside from the whole thing with Jace, how's school going for you?" Harry asked nonchalantly, as Danny poured himself some orange juice.

"Aside from the uniforms, the metric system, and the very disappointing lack of cheerleaders, it's not terrible," Danny answered, shrugging. "Teachers always seem to have it out for me, so that's nothing new, although Professor Solomon is probably the coolest dude on the planet right now. My old vice principal could've learned a thing or two from him."

Harry smiled. "Yeah, my headmaster at Hogwarts was like a father to me," he said wistfully. "You and Professor Solomon seem to be on pretty good terms as well."

Danny nodded thoughtfully. "Yeah, he's completely different from what I expected," he said. "I'm more used to "detention first, questions later, if at all" method."

The wizard nodded. "One of my professors was that way too," he said. "It wasn't until third year that I found out that he'd had a thing against my dad, and since my dad was dead, he was taking his hatred out on me."

Danny winced. "Yeah, I have some experience with that," he said dryly. "Vlad likes to take his jealousy of my dad out on me sometimes."

"So how's it going socially?" Harry asked. "Aly seems like a good friend."

Danny scowled at the floor. "A little _too_ good a friend," he growled. "She and Chris Glock won't leave me alone."

Harry blinked in surprise. "What do you mean?" He asked. "Aly seemed very nice, and everyone knows the Glock kids. Chris is the one who keeps the oldest one from lusting after my wife. I've met him a few times, he's a good kid."

Danny fidgeted, suddenly uncomfortable with the tide of the conversation. "That's just it," he said slowly. "They're _too_ nice. Don't get me wrong, I like them, I like them a lot. They're both really cool and funny, and they're both _way_ smarter than I could ever hope to be. But… I don't… I can't be around them. It's… dangerous, for all of us. And I can't… I can't let anyone else get hurt because of me."

Harry nodded sympathetically. "I felt exactly the same way after Sirius died," he said quietly. "I even tried to push Ron and Hermione away because I thought they would be safer if they weren't near me. But that's not all of it, is it? Stop thinking about others for a minute and just think about yourself, Danny. Why do _you_ not want to be around them? Forgetting the danger, forgetting any external reasons there might be. What is it that's causing you to push them away?"

Danny was quiet for a bit, wondering if Harry would really understand. Then he cursed himself for being an idiot. Of course Harry would understand! Whatever Danny had been through, Harry had been through the same, or worse. If _anyone_ other than Vlad would understand, it would be the Auror across from him.

"It… hurts, being around them," he said hesitantly. "Even though I know they're completely different people, I keep seeing them as Sam and Tucker. I keep expecting Aly to rag on me and Chris for eating anything that used to have a face, and I keep waiting for Chris to whip out a PDA and do something with it that shouldn't even be possible on it. They'll say something, and I'll flash back to some time when Sam or Tuck said the same thing. It's driving me crazy, Harry, and the worst part is that I'm actually having _fun_ with Aly and Chris, when I feel like I shouldn't even know the meaning of the word anymore, because the only fun I should have is with Sam and Tuck." He paused for breath, surprised that he'd let so much of himself out to someone he'd known for less than a month.

"Does that even make sense?" He asked, meeting Harry's brilliant green eyes desperately.

The wizard's answering smile was so reassuring and sympathetic that Danny had to bite his tongue to stop himself from breaking down completely. "It made perfect sense, mate," the man told him. "You're afraid of replacing Sam and Tucker so quickly, right?"

Danny nodded fiercely, relieved that he didn't have to explain. "I know it's been a few months, and I should move on, but I can't," he murmured. "Tucker and Sam… they were the ones who kept me focused, who helped me learn to control my powers and kept me from going insane from the sleepless nights, injuries, and massive amounts of homework. They were amazing friends, and I didn't deserve them. And now that they're gone, part of me doesn't want any more friends at all. Aly and Chris are great, but they could never level up to Sam and Tucker."

"Don't you think that's a bit unfair?"

Danny blinked and looked at Harry blankly. "What do you mean?"

Harry took off his glasses and began cleaning them as he spoke, making his eyes seem even more piercing than before. "You barely know Chris and Aly," he said. "How do you know they can't level up until you give them a chance? I know they can't replace the friends you lost, but you can't live life by yourself, Danny. You need friends, now more than ever. And it seems to me that these two won't take no for an answer."

Danny sighed. "I know, but I don't feel ready to move on yet," he said despondently. "I feel like I'm waiting for permission from Sam and Tucker to go on with my life, because it's my fault they're dead."

Harry nodded, putting his glasses back on. "I can understand that," he said. "Just don't wait too long, okay mate? Those two aren't going to wait forever."

Danny nodded. "I know," he said quietly. "Thanks, Harry."

"Any time, Danny," the wizard said, handing the halfa the folder of assignments. "Why don't you get cracking on this while I go pick up James? You might not get a chance this weekend."

"Oh yeah, Teddy's coming over, isn't he?" Danny remembered suddenly, grabbing a pencil and sitting down at the kitchen table. "I'd better get this over with then. How long do I have?"

Harry checked his watch. "Andromeda's supposed to drop him off at seven," he said. "So about three hours or so."

Danny winced. "I'll do my best, but I can't make any promises," he said.

"Whatever you don't finish, you can do Sunday night," Harry told him.

"All right," Danny replied, nodding. He got to work, and Harry left for the Burrow, where his parents-in-law, Arthur and Molly Weasley, were babysitting the second generation of the Weasley clan.

* * *

"_Danny, Danny! C'mon, buddy, wake up!"_

"_Danny, we don't have much time. Please wake up, little brother."_

"_Danny Fenton, if you're not awake in five seconds, my boot is going up your butt, understand? Five, four, three, two—"_

"I'm up, I'm up!" Danny yelped, sitting up and nearly tumbling out of bed in the process. He rebalanced himself and rubbed the sleep from his eyes, looked up, and pinched himself five times to make sure he wasn't dreaming.

Floating in front of him, glowing a pale blue and snickering, giggling, and scowling respectively, were Tucker Foley, Jazz Fenton, and Sam Manson. The two best friends and older sister of the currently mind-boggled halfa looked exactly as they had in life, right down to Tucker's red beret, Jazz's turquoise headband, and Sam's green scrunchie.

"Guys?" Danny whispered hoarsely. "Tucker? Jazz? Sam? Is it… is it really you?"

"_Who'd you think it was, the tooth fairy?" _Sam asked, fists on her hips and violet eyes sparkling as she scowled jokingly.

"_We saw that you were having some issues down here, so we got permission to come help you out,"_ Jazz said, her expression concerned as she regarded her former younger brother.

"_Yeah, we got the okay from the Big Man Himself, dude!" _Tucker put in, grinning. _"We're here to set a few things straight."_

"_For example, those two kids you keep treating like dirt are there to help you," _Sam said, crossing her arms over her chest and leveling her gaze at Danny. _"Aly McKos and Chris Glock are meant to be there for you because me and Tucker aren't anymore."_

"_You could say that they're our replacements,"_ Tucker explained. He winked at Danny. _"Besides, that Aly girl is kind of cute."_ The girls rolled their eyes while Danny just gaped.

"_Grow up, Tucker," _Sam growled, punching her fellow spirit in the arm.

"_Hey, I may be dead, but I'm still a good lookin' guy,"_ Tucker whined. _"Can I help it if I still like pretty girls?"_

"_Hey, focus people," _Jazz interrupted, clapping her hands. _"We're on a schedule, remember? Now Danny, about Aly and Chris. Please don't be afraid to get close to them, okay? Like Tucker said, they're his and Sam's replacements. They're meant to help you move on with your life. Just because we're gone doesn't mean that you stop living, got it?"_

"But… I can't just up and forget you guys," Danny said hesitantly.

"_Hold on there, hotshot," _Sam said, holding up a hand. _"Nobody said anything about forgetting us. In fact, don't even think of Aly and Chris as our replacements. Think of them as new friends you made after moving to a new place."_

"_Don't forget us, but don't waste your life mourning us," _Tucker told him in a rare fit of seriousness. _"You've been given a second chance here, Danny. Don't throw it away because of us."_ His face broke into a sudden grin, his green eyes dancing behind his black-rimmed glasses. _"I would hate to see what Sam would do to your sorry butt if she found out you were up here."_

Danny laughed at that, laughed for the first time in what felt like years. He laughed so hard he began crying, the tension of months of fear, pain, and guilt releasing itself in a sudden burst. He felt a pair of cool arms around him, and looked up to see his sister holding him tight, just the way she had when he was little and scared by a nightmare.

"_It's okay now, Danny," _she said quietly, as he cried into her shoulder. _"It's okay."_

"I'm sorry, Jazz, I'm sorry!" He sobbed. "I couldn't save you guys, any of you. I failed you all."

"_Dude, don't be sorry," _Tucker told him, placing a hand on his former best friend's shoulder. _"You tried your best, and man, I couldn't be more proud to have called you my best bud. Why, I was watching you tell Vlad off that one day, and I turned to the dude next to me and I said, "Dude, that super cool guy down there, that's my best friend." My last thought before I died was how lucky I was to have had the honor of knowing you, man. You're the coolest dude on the planet, Danny, and don't you ever forget it or let anyone tell you different, you got that?"_

Danny grinned through his tears and nodded. "Got it, Tuck," he murmured.

Tucker nodded approvingly and moved to make room for Sam. The raven-haired Goth kissed Danny on the cheek and smiled at her former best friend's dumbfounded expression.

"_I've always loved you, Danny, and I always will," _she said quietly, _"but promise me you won't dwell too much on the past and what could've been, all right? Focus on the present and the future. You're a great guy, Danny, and someday you're going to make some lucky girl very happy. Don't forget us, but don't stop living because of us, okay? Promise?"_

Danny nodded, tears building up again. "I promise, Sam," he choked out, past the lump in his throat and the massive pain in his chest. Sam smiled and kissed him again.

"_Danny,"_ Jazz said, tightening her arms around her little brother, _"I've known about you being Phantom for a while now, since the Spectra thing, and I just want to tell you how proud I am of you and everything you've done. Mom and Dad know too, now, and they wanted me to tell you that they're proud of you too. They said that they understand why you didn't want to tell them, and that they're sorry for wanting to rip you apart molecule by molecule. Oh, and Dad said that you should teach Aly and Chris how to use the ghost weapons you brought with you."_

Danny smiled and nodded. "Tell him I will," he whispered, hugging Jazz's cool form tight.

"_Be strong, Danny, and don't be afraid to live your life, okay?"_ Jazz said. _"I love you, little bro."_

"Love you too, Jazz," Danny replied, suddenly very sleepy. "Tell Mom and Dad that I love them."

"_They know, Danny,"_ Jazz assured him, her voice starting to sound very far away. _"Go back to sleep now, little brother. You've got a long day ahead."_

"_Bye Danny!" _Tucker's voice called. _"Have a great life!"_

"_Remember your promise, Danny," _Sam told him. _"Goodbye!"_

"Goodbye," Danny muttered, as he sank back into sleep.


	7. Secrets, Halfas, and Squibs

Walk Three Worlds  
A Danny Phantom/Harry Potter Fanfic  
By CaelumFelis  
Disclaimer: I don't own Danny Phantom or Harry Potter or anything associated with them.

* * *

**Chapter 7: Secrets, Halfas, and Squibs**

It was a good thing that Chris was a morning person, or else he would have been very displeased with the hour at which he found Danny Fenton and Aly McKos on his doorstep.

"You two do realize that it's seven thirty on a Saturday morning, right?" He asked, opening the door further to let them in.

"His fault," Aly grunted, going straight for the teapot. "Woke me up at bloody seven and asked me to help him find your place. Says he needs to talk to us."

Chris turned to Danny, who was standing sheepishly in the doorway. "What's so important that it couldn't wait until Aly's had her two pots of tea?" He asked curiously.

The American rubbed the back of his neck. "I can't tell you here," he said apologetically, "but it's really important, and this may be my only chance to get away this weekend. Teddy's over, and Harry's taking us to London for the day." He glanced around, and Chris was struck, and not for the first time, by how wary and cautious the other boy was. "Is there someplace big where we can talk privately?" He asked.

Chris nodded, puzzled. "Yeah, we can go out to the woods," he said. "Let me just go get dressed."

"Okay, thanks," Danny said.

Ten minutes later, they were standing in the woods near Chris's house, in a clearing that he and his siblings used to play in. Danny whistled and nodding approvingly.

"This is perfect," he said.

"So, we're here," Aly groused, sitting down on a log. "What'd you need to tell us?"

Chris winced at her sharp tone, but Danny just sighed and moved so that he was facing the both of them.

"First, I owe you guys an apology," he said. "I haven't been very nice to you two at all, while you've gone out of your way to be nice to me. I've had a very rough past few months and I know that doesn't excuse the way I've treated you, but I hope it'll at least help you understand a bit. I'm sorry it took me so long to get my head back on straight."

Chris blinked and glanced at Aly, who was shaking her head and laughing. He rolled his eyes.

_She put too much sugar in her tea again,_ he thought.

"You have nothing to be sorry for, mate," he told the American, who was staring at Aly in shock. "Miss Gigglewort over there is an empath, someone who senses the emotions of others. She knew you were hurting and didn't actually mean the stuff you were saying."He grinned suddenly. "You're one top notch actor, though. There were times that I wanted to punch your lights out for being such an arse."

Danny sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah, and that brings me to the second thing I need to tell you guys," he said. "Pretty much the root of this whole mess I'm in."

Chris frowned at the tone of weary acceptance in Danny's voice. "What do you mean?" He asked.

His fellow teen nodded at Aly with an amused expression on his face. "Get her to stop laughing and I'll show you," he said.

Chris grinned evilly and turned to the laughing girl. "Hey Aly!" He called.

"Wh-what?" The blonde gasped out, rolling on the ground in mirth.

"Potatoes," Chris said simply.

The effect of that single word was extraordinary. Aly stopped laughing immediately, the merriment dying from her eyes. She stood up, brushed herself off, and sat back down on her log.

Chris nearly wet himself with laughter when he saw the dumbstruck look on Danny's face.

"Don't ask, mate," he said.

"I won't, then," Danny replied. "Do I have your attention now?" He asked Aly.

"Yeah, sorry about that, it's just early," she said, shrugging.

"I'll try and keep this quick so you can go back to sleep," he replied.

"That'd be nice," Aly smiled.

Danny nodded and took a deep breath. "Okay, so the only way you're going to believe this is if I show you, so here goes," he said, and Chris barely had time to register the words before the boy in front of him _changed._

A ring of pure white energy appeared around Danny's slim waist and split in two, one ring traveling upwards towards his head, the other downwards towards his feet. As the rings traveled, Danny's jeans, t-shirt, and jacket were replaced with a black spandex suit with a white belt, gloves, collar, boots, and an odd looking logo on the chest, which Chris realized was a stylized letter D with a smaller letter P inside of it. Danny met Chris's astonished eyes with a desperate, pleading look before closing his eyes as the ring passed over his head. When he opened them again, they were a hot, glowing neon green, which Chris recognized with a start from the morning before, instead of the cool blue he'd gotten used to over the past week. Danny's jet black hair turned dazzling white, and then the rings winked out of existence. Effortlessly, Danny lifted up off of the ground and floated in place, his legs melting together into a long, translucent black tail.

"Umm… hi," he said uncertainly, his voice echoing eerily. His expression was tense and fearful as he looked from Chris to Aly and back again, and he winced when Aly let out a small squeak of fear as his eyes met hers.

"Bloody hell," Chris murmured, studying Danny carefully. "What _are_ you?"

"A halfa," Danny answered immediately. "At least, that's what ghosts call me, among other, less printable things. Basically, I'm half ghost, half human. This is my ghost form."

"Your emotions are muted," Aly said suddenly, looking puzzled. "They're there, but they're so faint. Why is that?"

"Technically, ghosts aren't supposed to have emotions at all," Danny explained, crossing his legs and sitting Indian style in midair. "Since I'm still human, I still have emotions, but they're dulled by my ghost half."

"You weren't born like this, were you?" Chris asked, crossing his arms over his broad chest and looking at Danny thoughtfully.

The halfa shook his head. "I was completely human until about a year ago," he said, and he explained the accident that gave him his powers, his work as a superhero, and the twisted turn of events that had caused him to come to Godric's Hollow. By the time he'd finished, Aly was in tears, and Chris was numb with shock.

"Damn, mate," he said, shaking his head. "Now I know why Jace pissed you off so badly yesterday. I'm sorry about your family."

Aly leaped up and tackled Danny in a huge hug, still sobbing. She nearly knocked Danny out of the air, and the halfa was so surprised that he almost phased out of her grip instinctively. He caught himself just in time, and set both feet firmly on the ground before wrapping his arms awkwardly around her shoulders.

"Aw jeez, Aly," he stuttered, not exactly sure what to say to comfort the distraught girl. "Don't cry, please? I'm alright."

"Stop lying, Danny," Aly snapped halfheartedly, hugging his cold form tighter. "You're not alright, I can feel it."

For the first time since he'd met him, Chris saw a small, gentle smile spread across Danny's face, and marveled at how young it made the hardened teen look— instead of appearing sixteen or seventeen, he now looked thirteen or fourteen.

"Okay then," he said quietly, transforming back to human mode in a flash of white light. "I'm not alright, but I'm getting better. I'm trusting you guys with my secret, aren't I? No one but the Potters and Ron and Hermione Weasley knows about my powers. Not even my parents knew about it."

"And no one else will ever find out," Chris said confidently, grinning at the surprised look Danny gave him. "Well, it's not every day that a superhero trusts you enough to share his secret identity with you, is it? You'd have to be a complete dolt not to keep it a secret."

"And we're secret keeping experts," Aly added, wiping the tears from her eyes and giving Danny a watery grin. "After all, we keep a whole civilization secret from the rest of the world."

"What do you mean?" Danny asked, his blue eyes curious.

"Chris and I come from magical families," Aly explained. "Our parents are wizards and witches."

"We're what you call Squibs," Chris jumped in, anticipating the question that he could see forming on Danny's lips. "We're kids from magical families who don't have magic. It's really, really, really rare, but it happens. That's why we go to school here instead of at Hogwarts, because since we don't have magical abilities, we can't really learn anything useful there. Here, at least we learn how to function in the Muggle world."

"If Mr. Potter is taking you and Teddy to London, he's probably taking you to Diagon Alley," Aly said.

Danny nodded. "That's exactly where he said we were going," he replied. He glanced at his watch, and blanched. "Oh, jeez, I'd better get back, I don't want Harry to think I've taken off. Want a lift back to your place, Aly?"

Aly frowned confusedly. "How would you give me a lift?" She asked. "You don't have a—"

Her sentence was interrupted by Danny's sudden switch to ghost mode. "I can fly you, if you want," he said shyly, lifting off of the ground, his spectral tail flicking back and forth nervously. "I promise it's safe, I won't drop you. I've flown with Sam and Tucker thousands of times."

Aly's hazel eyes sparkled. "That sounds brilliant," she said, and Danny's face lit up, causing his iridescent green eyes to gleam brightly.

"I guess I'll just walk, then," Chris said offhandedly, grinning at his two friends.

"If Harry says it's okay, do you guys want to come to London with us?" Danny asked, looking from Aly to Chris hopefully.

His two new friends grinned. "Absolutely," they said together.

* * *

"Happy Birthday, Hermione!"

The newly turned twenty-six-year-old screamed in surprise as her living room was suddenly lit up with blue sparks. Ron, Harry, Ginny, James, Danny, Aly, and Chris all stood in front of her, the wizards with their wands out, and the remains of sparklers in the hands of the three teenagers. A huge, blue frosted cake sat on the coffee table behind them.

"What's all this?" She asked, eyes wide as she looked from one grinning face to another.

"You're the smart one, 'Mione," Ron said, stowing his wand and coming to give his wife a hug, "and you don't know a bloody birthday party when you see one?"

"Language, Ronald," she chastised him automatically, grinning as she kissed him on each freckled cheek.

"Aw, 'Mione, they've all heard it before," Ron grumbled good-naturedly. "Ain't that right, Jamie? Old Uncle Ron's cursing doesn't bother you, now does it?"

"Ron, when he starts repeating that language, I'm holding you responsible," Harry told him, grinning dangerously at his friend. He turned to his son as the infant babbled happily.

"Better start running, Ron," Danny put in, blue eyes dancing. "That sounded like a cuss to me."

"Put a cork in it, you punk," Ron said, laughing. "I'm staying and enjoying my wife's birthday party. Blow out the candles, love, so I can have some cake."

Hermione laughed helplessly and blew out the twenty-six purple candles that were floating in midair above the cake. Everyone applauded, and Ginny supervised the slicing of the cake, sending her husband to keep her brother occupied so that Hermione could have the first piece. The three teenagers took over a corner of the room and played with James, so that the adults could talk.

"Who are Danny's friends, Harry?" Hermione asked quietly, nodding at the small group.

"Friends from school who've become second limbs," Harry said jokingly, swallowing a mouthful of cake. He turned serious, gazing at his ward thoughtfully. "They're pretty much the only two people who've made the effort to see past his armor, and the only ones he's let close."

"He's really come a long way," Hermione said, smiling at the way Danny grinned as he listened to something Aly was telling him. "I think this is the first time I've seen him smile. They're doing wonders for him."

Harry nodded. "They're fantastic, Aly and Chris," he said. "This party was actually Danny's idea, but they're the ones who convinced him to go to Ron and tell him. The three of them baked the cake themselves."

"Really?" Hermione asked, surprised. "It's fantastic, they did a wonderful job. Who told them I like blueberry?"

"Ron," Harry answered. "He took Danny's idea and ran with it, and pretty much decorated the whole place. He even asked the head of the department for the day off so that he could get everything done before you got home. The kids skipped school to work on the cake."

Hermione shook her head, smiling wryly. "They didn't," she said.

Harry nodded, smiling as well. "They did," he replied. "Danny's grounded for three days, starting tomorrow. I didn't have the heart to say he couldn't come tonight, since he'd worked so hard."

"You're such a pushover, Harry," Hermione teased her brother-in-law. "But that was really sweet of them."

"Time for presents!" Ron bellowed, ending the conversation. The group gathered around Hermione as she sat down on the couch, Ron by her side. The redheaded man handed his wife each present, reading the labels as he did.

"The first one's from the kids, Danny, Chris, Aly, Teddy, and James," he said, handing her the small, plaid-wrapped box. The three teens all grinned as the witch unwrapped and opened the box to find an entire winter accessories set: enormous, thick, fuzzy blue earmuffs, mittens, a scarf, and even slippers.

"Oh, you guys," Hermione gushed, grinning widely at the kids. "This is wonderful, thank you!"

"Thank Danny," Chris said, elbowing his friend in the ribs, causing the halfa to swat him away playfully.

"He saw the earmuffs and just freaked," Aly said, laughing. "What'd he say about them, Chris?"

"Don't you dare," Danny growled good-naturedly, eyes shining.

"Oh yeah, something about them being so thick, they could block out Mr. Weasley's snoring," Chris laughed, ducking the halfhearted swing Danny took at him.

"See if I get you two anything for your birthdays," he muttered darkly.

The presents continued, resulting in mostly books, and a new Anti-Forgery Quill. As the party wound down, Ginny took James home, but the teenagers camped out in the family room and played Exploding Snap.

"Danny looks like a new man, Harry," Ron commented, settling down on the couch next to Hermione, a tall glass of firewhiskey in his hand. "What'd you do to the poor kid?"

"I didn't do anything," Harry said, holding up his hands in mock surrender. "He just needed time to grieve, which I guess he didn't get while he was at his foster-father's place."

"What's the word on this slimeball, anyway?" Ron asked, leaning forward slightly and frowning, his blue eyes cool. "Did Shacklebolt send anyone to monitor him?"

"I don't know," Harry sighed, playing with his glass of butterbeer. "I told Kingsley about him, what Danny had told me, but he didn't give any indication of whether or not he's going to follow through with it or not. At the very least, he could get someone to bring up charges of child abuse in the American Muggle courts, but that would mean that Danny would have to go back to face him, and that's the last thing I want to force him to do. If possible, it would be best if Danny never saw him again."

Hermione nodded, her eyes flashing. "Line forms behind me to curse him," she said. "A man who does that to a child doesn't even deserve to be called a man. A despicable, lowlife monster is a better term."

The two men nodded, glancing at the teens in the next room. Danny was fully engrossed in the game, one eyebrow and the tips of his bangs singed off. A shriek sounded, as one of Aly's cards exploded in her hand and gently scorched her fingertips. Chris burst into laughter while Danny transformed and took Aly's hands in his own, letting the coolness of his ghost form soothe the girl's burns. She smiled gratefully at him, while he blushed and mumbled something back.

"Why would anyone want to harm such a sweet boy?" Hermione wondered quietly, smiling at the scene. The men sighed, unable to answer her.

"When's his birthday, Harry?" Ron asked, glancing at his friend. "I want to make sure he gets a good one."

"December twenty-first," Harry replied. "Don't scare the poor kid, alright Ron? He's been through enough already."

"What do you take me for, Harry?" Ron blustered, looking affronted, although his eyes danced merrily. "I just want to see if I can get some of the Hogwarts ghosts to come. It's about time he met a ghost who didn't try to pound him flat."

Harry smiled at his friend. "I think he'd like that, Ron," he said. "If they can't come, then we should see about taking him to meet them ourselves. I'll take it up with McGonagall."

It was almost one in the morning before the party ended, and Harry took the three exhausted teenagers back to Godric's Hollow. The kids fell asleep in the backseat of Harry's station wagon, Aly curled up in the middle against Danny's side, and the two boys on either side of her, Danny's arm around her shoulders and his head resting gently on hers, and Chris stretched out on the girl's other side, snoring away. Harry looked at them in the rearview mirror and smiled. Though it had only been a couple of weeks since Danny had revealed his secret to his two friends, the three of them had become attached at the hip, and their bond grew every day. It was especially exciting watching Danny and Aly interact, because it was becoming quite obvious that there was a special spark between the two. Harry wondered offhandedly if Danny had ever had "The Talk" with his father before he'd died.

They reached the Potter house, and Harry reluctantly woke the kids up to get them inside. Aly and Danny blushed when they realized that they'd fallen asleep against each other, and Harry joined Chris in snickering at their embarrassment. The four went inside, and Harry helped them set up camp in the living room before going to bed himself.

* * *

Vlad Plasmius stared moodily at the computer screen, his eyes burning red as he relentlessly tracked down his missing godson. How the boy had managed to disappear, the older halfa had no idea, nor did he particularly care. All he cared about was getting the boy back and teaching him a lesson he wouldn't soon forget. He'd make Daniel sorry for ever even considering running away from him.

"Any luck?" A deep, gravelly voice asked, and Vlad growled in frustration.

"Not yet," he snarled, turning to the owner of the voice. "Dammit, Skulker, when I find him, I will tell you! Now leave!"

The eight foot tall, ebony clad robotic ghost recoiled, having been on the receiving end of the evil halfa's wrath before. His flaming green Mohawk flared and his green eyes widened in surprise, then his fists clenched with mechanically enhanced strength and his eyes narrowed in anger. He dearly wanted to blast the annoying, Ghost King wannabe into the next century, but unfortunately, the guy was way more powerful than him, and would probably blast him on the spot before he could even twitch.

Skulker sighed, tapping the now silent PDA wired into the circuitry of his arm. He hadn't fought with the Ghost Boy in over five months, since the Nasty Burger explosion in Amity Park in May. He was itching to get that whelp's pelt for his collection, but of course, the annoying pest had to be found first. Skulker knew it was only a matter of time, combined, he and Plasmius had the best tracking equipment on the planet, and there was nowhere either on earth or in the Ghost Zone that Danny Phantom could hide that wouldn't be detected.

The Ghost Zone's Greatest Hunter began pacing in midair, growling impatiently. He knew that waiting was part of the hunt, but five months was a little much in his mind.

"Found him!" Plasmius howled triumphantly, as a shrill beeping filled the air. Skulker flew over and looked over the half-ghost's shoulder.

"Godric's Hollow, Great Britain," he said thoughtfully. "So the Ghost Child's been in England this whole time."

"Skulker, go to that village and retrieve Daniel for me, would you please?" Plasmius said silkily, his voice carrying a dangerous edge that let the hunter know to do what he was told.

"With pleasure," the robotic ghost growled, cracking his knuckles.

"Make sure to bring him back here _alive_, understand?" Vlad told him, glaring at his employee.

"I get his pelt when you're done, right?" Skulker asked, meeting the vampire-like ghost's glare with one of his own.

Plasmius smirked slyly. "Of course, as payment for your patience and exceptional service," the halfa replied. Skulker nodded, grinning evilly.

"Look out, Ghost Child," he growled under his breath. "Nowhere to go now." He set himself to charging and cleaning his weapons, preparing for the battle ahead.

* * *

"The emergency numbers are on the icebox, there's pizza on the way, and you know what time bedtime is," Ginny rattled off as she rushed around the Potters' kitchen, tidying up before she and Harry went out. Danny leaned against the counter, a can of Diet Coke in his hand, and his eyes laughing as he watched Ginny scurry.

"Relax, Ginny, it's just one evening, we'll be back before midnight," Harry said, leaning in the doorway, the keys to his station wagon in his hand. "Danny's a responsible kid, he'll be fine. And Teddy and James are easy, just feed 'em and they're out like lights."

Ginny sighed, running a hand through her hair. "If you have any problems, send Fisher to Ron and Hermione, and they'll come right over. Harry, is the phone working?"

"It always is, love, you just don't use it," Harry laughed.

"Ginny, we'll be fine," Danny reassured her, smiling gently. "You two go, have a good time. The kids and I will be living it up back here at home."

"Danny! Come on, the cards are all going to blow up if we don't start!" Teddy called from the family room, accompanied by a happy shriek from James.

"Cool your jets, Teddy, I'm coming!" Danny called back. "It's a night of pizza, soda, and card games, Ginny. What could possibly go wrong?" He asked.

Ginny sighed, silently admitting defeat. "Make sure you brush your teeth before bed," she said simply, and Danny grinned at her.

"Not to worry, now get going!" He said.

The Potters left, Harry grinning mysteriously and winking at Danny before shutting the door. Danny wondered at this for a split second before shaking it off and running to join Teddy for Exploding Snap. They played until the pizza came, about an hour later, then Teddy drew while Danny took care of James, feeding, burping, and changing the one-year-old's diaper with expert ease. At eight o'clock, he put James to bed, and then he and Teddy began playing War.

"No fair! You're cheating!" Teddy cried, as Danny won the fourth game in a row.

"I don't cheat, Teddy," Danny laughed. "You're just having some bad luck." He glanced at the clock, and started putting the deck away. "And now it's bedtime. Go on upstairs while I put this away, okay buddy?"

"Okay," Teddy pouted, shuffling upstairs. The seven year old brushed his teeth and changed into his pj's before picking out a storybook and climbing into bed. He waited patiently for Danny to come up and read to him, even though he could read the book himself if he wanted to. But he liked having someone read to him, and it saved him the effort of sounding out words that he didn't know.

_CRAASH!_

Teddy cried out and tumbled out of bed as the house shook violently. In the room next to him, James woke up and began crying. Teddy felt like crying along with him, but he swallowed his tears and scrambled up and out the door into the hall. He crouched at the top of the stairs and gasped at the sight that greeted him below.

There was an enormous hole in the wall where the front door used to be, and standing in front of it was a creature that Teddy could only describe as a monster. Glowing, fiery green hair raced down the thing's head and neck in a Mohawk, and glowing green eyes scanned the area intently. The creature was enormous, easily dwarfing both Uncle Harry _and_ Uncle Ron, and it's skin appeared to be some kind of shiny metal. Its enormous skull-face grinned when it saw Teddy cowering back at the top of the stairs.

"Hmm, interesting," the thing said in a deep, gravelly baritone. "My scanners indicate that you're a Metamorphmagus. I was originally hunting the ghost boy, but you would be a fantastic addition to my collection." He pointed a fist at the terrified boy, and a large gun popped _out of his arm_ and whined as it began charging.

Teddy could only tremble as he stared down the barrel of the monster's gun. For the first time in his life, he wished his mom and dad were there to protect him, and he silently cried, _DANNY!_

"Teddy, _no!_"


	8. Home is Where the Heart Is

Walk Three Worlds  
A Danny Phantom/Harry Potter Fanfic  
By CaelumFelis  
Disclaimer: I don't own Danny Phantom or Harry Potter or anything associated with them.

* * *

**Chapter 8: Home is Where the Heart Is**

Teddy was frozen with fear as he stared down the barrel of the monster's weapon. The creature smirked and cocked the gun, seconds from firing.

"Teddy, _no!_"

A white blur flew into the hall and slammed into the creature, throwing them both through the hole that used to be the front door. After a few seconds of shock, Teddy recovered himself and raced down the stairs. Tiptoeing carefully around broken shards of glass and splintered wood, he made his way to the hole and peeked out.

A white haired boy the same age and build as Danny was floating in the middle of the front yard, glaring murder at the monster with glowing green eyes.

"Skulker," the boy hissed, balling white-gloved fists, "what the hell are you doing here? How did you find me?"

The creature laughed, and more weapons popped out of his arms and shoulders, including a long, glowing green blade out of his wrist. "I'm the Ghost Zone's greatest hunter, whelp, or did you forget that?" He sneered. "I've been waiting a long time for this. I hope you haven't gone soft in your time off, Ghost Child."

The boy growled, glowing green energy forming around his fists. Teddy squeaked in alarm, and the white-haired boy glanced in his direction for a split second, his glowing eyes wide and frightened. Then his gaze snapped back to the monster, furious.

"You've got a lot of nerve showing up here, Skulker," he snarled. "I'll give you one chance to leave without a fight. If you're not gone in the next ten seconds, I'll blast you into the next time zone, understand?"

The monster, Skulker, laughed and fired one of his guns. The boy dodged the blast, and Teddy realized with a shock that he was flying right towards him.

He had no time to move out of the way before the boy had grabbed him in his arms and flew him back upstairs into James's room. It all happened so fast that he didn't have time to scream, and then he was dazzled by a brilliant white light, and Danny was holding him in his arms.

"Are you okay, Teddy?" The teenager asked, setting the shell-shocked seven-year-old on the ground. Teddy nodded numbly, still too shocked to speak.

"Okay, buddy, I need you to listen to me carefully and do exactly as I say, all right?" Danny crouched down to Teddy's level and fixed him with a slightly desperate blue gaze. "I need you to take James and hide somewhere, and don't come out until I say so. Can you do that, Teddy? Pick a spot and stay there, and don't make a sound."

"D-D-Danny, w-w-w-who's t-t-that b-b-big m-m-monster d-d-down t-t-there?" Teddy stammered, his teeth chattering with fear. "W-w-what d-d-does h-h-he w-w-want w-w-with u-u-us?"

"I can't explain right now, Teddy," Danny replied, gripping the little boy's shoulders tightly. "I just need you to be a big boy and do what I say, got it? Let me worry about the monster, I promise I won't let him near you again. You just find someplace to hide with James, okay?"

Teddy nodded, and Danny smiled at him and ruffled his hair before going to James. Picking the one year old up carefully, he gently rocked him with one arm, as the other hand found a nerve in his neck and gently pressed it, causing the baby to fall asleep immediately. Danny put a pacifier in James's mouth, wrapped him up gently in his blanket, and handed him to Teddy.

"Surprise!" Skulker phased through the floor of the nursery, causing Teddy to squeal in alarm and hide behind Danny, who spread his feet and arms and glared daggers at the ghost.

"Teddy, remember what I told you," he said out of the corner of his mouth. "Find someplace to hide and _stay there,_ got it?"

"What about you?" Teddy squeaked fearfully, tightening his grip on his god-brother.

"Don't worry about me, I'll be fine," Danny said, never taking his eyes off of Skulker. "GO!"

Teddy jumped and raced away, out the door and down the hall. A few seconds later, he was curled up in the linen closet, trembling terribly and scared out of his wits. He hugged James tighter, and prayed that Danny could keep his promise.

* * *

Skulker looked around interestedly, ignoring the little boy who'd scrambled around him and out the door. His attention was caught by a flash of white light, and he grinned at the halfa he'd been sent to collect.

"So this is your new habitat, Ghost Child," he said conversationally, warming up his artillery. "Interesting that you managed to give Plasmius the slip for so long."

"Get out, Skulker," Danny growled, his own fists glowing with ectoplasmic energy and his eyes blazing with raw fury. "Get out of this house _now!_"

"Why would I do that?" Skulker asked, leveling an ecto-cannon at his prey. "I've been waiting five months for this hunt, I wouldn't give it up if you paid me." He fired, and Danny dodged the blast, wincing as it contacted with the wall, leaving a lovely green-tinged scorch mark.

_I've got to take this away from the house, or else the place will collapse with Teddy and James inside!_ Danny thought desperately, dodging another blast and a slash from Skulker's blade.

"You want a hunt, Skulker? You got one! Catch me if you can!" Danny blew a raspberry at the ghost and phased through the wall, ending up outside. He rocketed away high over the town, heading for the woods where Skulker could do all the damage he wanted. A frustrated roar told him that the hunter was right behind him. Danny gritted his teeth and flew faster, pinning his arms to his sides, his ghostly tail a streak in the night sky behind him. He could hear the roar of Skulker's jet-wings as he forced them full tilt to keep up with the speedy half-ghost.

"Whoa!" Danny threw himself to the side as an ectoblast whizzed past his ear. He growled as Skulker took advantage of his imbalance and began firing blasts from all of his cannons, forcing Danny to slow down and dodge them. He was just over the forest when a blast hit him square in the small of the back, and he cried out and fell out of the air.

He fought to right himself, and fell onto a tree branch, knocking the wind out of him and probably snapping a few ribs as well. Danny yelled in pain, but pulled himself onto the branch and faced the incoming ghost, his jaw set and his eyes burning bright in the darkness.

Skulker grinned when he saw the Ghost Boy waiting for him on a tree branch. The pure fury burning in the halfa's eyes didn't bother him at all, he was more than used to it from other prey, and in all honesty, that expression of pure hate made the hunt seem even more worthwhile.

"Giving up, whelp?" He called laughingly, deploying his blade.

Danny's eyes flashed dangerously. "Not on your afterlife, Skulker," he called back, his tone diamond hard and icy cold. He shot an ecto-blast at the hunter, who knocked it away with his blade and dove at the boy. Danny lithely dodged; landing a midair kick right at the small of Skulker's back, returning the pain of the blast he'd taken earlier. He flipped away as Skulker slashed at him with his blade, and fired a series of blasts as he flew backwards into the woods. Skulker knocked them away with his blade, firing blasts from his own cannons. Danny formed an ecto-shield, the glowing green sphere of energy protecting him from the robot's fire. He dropped the shield and started aiming ecto-blasts at Skulker's cannons, slowly destroying each of them while still dodging the blasts from the remaining ones.

"ENOUGH!" Skulker roared as his final cannon was destroyed. His green eyes shone with a crazy fury as he deployed a second blade from his other arm, and began hacking at Danny, who only had time to think, _oh, shit_, before he had to form a shield to block the attack.

_I have to get him into the Thermos_, he thought wildly. He could feel himself tiring; he hadn't fought this hard since the last time he'd sparred with Vlad. He didn't even really know where he was anymore. There were trees on all sides, and he couldn't stay still long enough to look for houselights unless he wanted to be made into sushi by the crazy hunter's glowing green blades.

In desperation, he flew straight up into the air, out of the forest and into the open sky. It was a chancy move, because the night was clear, and anyone with a pair of binoculars could see him with ease. There was also no cover from Skulker, who he could hear coming up under him, but he risked it because he needed to find the Hollow again.

"There you are," he whispered to himself, finally spotting the small cluster of houses.

"Surprise!" Danny gasped as something white hot sliced through his back. Staggering a bit in midair, he turned to find Skulker behind him, grinning maniacally and brandishing one of his blades, which was dripping with bright green ectoplasm. It took him a second to figure out that the ectoplasm was his.

Before Danny could react, Skulker slashed him across the front as well, from his left shoulder to his right side above his waist, cutting his suit open and leaving a deep, deep gash that spurted ectoplasm. Danny choked, the pain cutting off his air and searing all through his body.

_That's probably going to leave a mark,_ he thought dimly, as he watched Skulker grin and prepare for the killing stroke. Forcing air into his lungs, he ducked the slash intended for his jugular, and dived almost vertically straight down into the woods, pulling up just a foot from the forest floor and speeding away back towards the Hollow. A strange warmth was tingling in his fingers and toes, and looking down at his chest, he saw that he was bleeding freely. His head swam, but he forced his eyes to stay focused on his destination, the window of his room in the Potter house. He was slowing down, the warmth was spreading up his arms and legs, and his vision was getting fuzzy, but he made himself angle upwards, and phased through his window, ectoplasm splattering wetly against the windowsill and wall. Collapsing on the floor of his room, he felt blindly around for the Fenton Thermos, and found it standing on his bedside table, ready for use. He pulled off the cap, and staggered to his feet just as Skulker phased through the wall in front of him.

"It's over, Ghost Child," the robot sneered, tapping his blades together before advancing on the rapidly weakening halfa.

"For… you, at… least," Danny gasped, pressing the "Capture" button on the side of the Thermos and aiming at Skulker. "Say… goodbye… tinhead."

Skulker's eyes widened as the beam of bluish white energy hit him square in the chest, forcing him intangible and sucking him into the souped up soup container. When the last wisp of energy had reentered the Thermos, Danny slammed the lid back on and turned on the safety.

He fell to his hands and knees, and transformed involuntarily, his body too weak from ectoplasm loss and exertion to hold his ghost form any longer. His blue t-shirt began clinging to his bloody and sweaty back, and he could feel blood still flowing out from the slashes on his front and back. His head and vision swam, and he realized that he was going to pass out.

"Gotta… get someone… for the kids…" he told himself, forcing himself back to his feet, hissing at the pain of his injuries. He braced himself against the door as he collected the strength to raise his voice.

"Teddy? Teddy… where… are you? It's… it's safe… to come… out now," he called weakly.

He turned as the door to the linen closet opened, and sighed with relief as the seven year old appeared with the one year old still snug in his arms.

"Danny? Is the monster gone?" Teddy asked meekly, his turquoise eyes wide and frightened.

Danny smiled wanly and nodded. "Yeah… he's gone," he said, breathing deeply and forcing his voice to be stronger so as not to frighten the little boy even more. "I need to make a phone call, buddy. Come on." With superhuman effort, he forced his weak and exhausted legs to move, and led Teddy downstairs. The young Metamorphmagus sat on the family room couch with James still asleep in his arms while Danny made his way to the phone and wracked his brain for the number he wanted.

_Please, please be home,_ he prayed as he dialed.

* * *

Aly looked up from her homework in surprise as the phone rang. It was rare that the telephone rang in the McKos household, but it did happen, and it usually turned out to be one of Aly's schoolmates asking about homework. However, it never rang at— Aly glanced at her watch, and blinked in shock. It was almost ten thirty at night! Immediately, Aly snatched up the receiver, a surge of dread coiling in her stomach.

"McKos residence, Aly McKos speaking," she said.

"A-Aly? Oh, thank G-d."

Aly's eyes widened. "Danny? Are you alright?" Almost immediately she answered her own question. Danny certainly did NOT sound alright. His breathing was harsh and labored, and she could hear a tremor of pain in his voice. And he wouldn't call her at this hour just to chat.

"No, I'm not," he answered. "Aly, I need you to listen to me and don't ask questions. I was just attacked by a ghost from my hometown. I was babysitting Teddy and James, they're fine, I made sure. But I'm going to black out, and I won't be able to look after them. Harry and Ginny won't be back for a few hours. I need your help, Aly, I can't protect the kids if I'm unconscious, and I don't know how long I'll be out. Please, Aly."

"I'll be there in five minutes," she said, already lacing up her trainers.

"Password's "Prongs"," Danny told her. "Teddy can… let you… in…" His voice faded out, and she heard a thump over the phone. A distressed cry sounded from the other side, and she realized that Danny had fainted.

"Danny!" She cried helplessly.

"Aly?" Teddy Lupin's voice came on the line, sounding confused and very frightened. "Aly something's wrong with Danny! He's not moving, and there's red sticky stuff everywhere!"

Aly took a deep breath to settle her nerves before speaking, and her voice was firm and steady.

"Teddy, listen to me," she said. "Danny will be fine, I promise, but he needs you to be a big kid and take care of James until I get there, okay? I'll be over in a few minutes, as soon as I can. Did Danny teach you how to use some of his ghost weapons?"

"Yeah," Teddy said uncertainly. "But he told me not to touch them unless he said I could."

"Teddy, I'm giving you my permission to use them," Aly told him. "Take one of Danny's ecto-guns and if the ghost comes back, blast it, okay?"

"Aye aye, ma'am!" Teddy said shakily, trying to put on a brave face.

"Good boy," Aly said, smiling. "I'll be there as soon as I can."

"See you, Aly," Teddy said.

"Take care, Teddy," Aly replied. She hung up the phone, grabbed her first aid kit from her room, and yelled at her parents that she was going out. She didn't bother waiting for a reply as she flew out the door.

She raced down the street, hugging her kit to her chest and praying that the boys were all right. If she knew Danny, the hero would do everything in his power to protect Teddy and James, who he saw as younger brothers. He'd already lost his family once, and he wasn't keen on repeating the event.

She turned the corner, and immediately saw the Potter house, an enormous hole in the front where the front door used to be. For a split second, she wondered why Danny had given her a password for the door if there _was_ no door, but she put it down to exhaustion and turned her mind to more important things.

"Teddy?" She called as she stepped carefully into the house. Aside from the gigantic hole and surrounding debris, and the terrifying red stains going from up the stairs and leading into the family room, the house was untouched. Aly didn't know if this was good or bad, but she was more worried about the boys than the house at the moment.

"In here, Aly," the seven year old called, and Aly could feel his relief. She went into the family room, and nearly screamed.

Danny was lying crumpled in a heap on the floor next to the phone, his blue t-shirt stained with blood on both his front and back, and more blood seeping onto the hardwood floor. His face was white, and immediately the first aid training her parents had pounded into her from the time she could walk took over. She flew to his side and pressed two fingers to the vein in his neck, making sure he was alive. His pulse was sluggish and slow, but there, and she sighed in relief.

"Aly?" The girl looked up and blinked, having completely forgotten that Teddy was there. The seven year old was looking at her pleadingly, his eyes wide and frightened. "Is Danny gonna be okay?"

Aly forced her panic down, sensing the barely conquered terror in the little boy in front of her, and took a deep breath.

"I have to look him over, but I think he'll be fine," she answered, her voice confident and sure as she took her panic and uncertainty and shoved it in a little box in the back of her mind. "Are you all right? Did the ghost do anything to you?"

Teddy shook his head shakily. "Nope, Danny didn't let the monster get me," he answered, and Aly smiled as she felt the little boy's surge of awe and pride in his babysitter.

"Good, you'll have to thank him when he wakes up," she said, turning back to her friend. She thought for a second, and then looked at Teddy again. "Teddy, can you put James in his playpen and help me? We need to take care of Danny before he gets really hurt."

Teddy nodded, and gently laid the still sleeping one year old in his playpen. He went to Aly's side, looking at her expectantly.

"Okay, little mate, we're going to have to work fast," Aly began. "I need you to get as many blankets as you can find and bring them down here. I'll move the coffee table, and we'll lay them out on the floor. Okay?"

Teddy nodded, and ran to do as he was told. Together, he and Aly worked to stop Danny's bleeding and bandage his wounds. Aly knew that her friend would need to be looked over by a professional healer, but she didn't want to call her parents in fear of the awkward questions they would ask. She'd have to wait until Harry and Ginny came home, but looking at the almost bone deep slashes on Danny's chest and back, she wondered if he could last that long.

When they finished, Teddy curled up beside his surrogate older brother, Fenton Lipstick Blaster in hand, and Aly sat next to them, a simple ecto-gun charged and ready.

* * *

"What the bloody hell happened to the door?" Harry's shocked voice floated to Aly's ears an hour and a half later. She sighed with relief, and powered down the ecto-gun.

"Harry, the boys!" Ginny's shrill, worried voice sounded. "What if something happened to them?"

"Danny?" Harry called.

"Mr. Potter!" Aly called, unable to keep the relief out of her voice. She stood up as Harry bounded into the room, wand at the ready.

"Oh my G-d, Danny!" Ginny cried, flying to the unconscious halfa's side. "Teddy! Aly, what on earth happened here?"

"I don't know, Danny called me a while ago, saying that he'd been attacked by a ghost and he needed me to watch the kids while he was passed out," Aly babbled, the panic and fear she'd locked away while helping her friend bursting out. "I came in to find him on the floor, covered in blood. I stopped the bleeding and bandaged him as best I could, but he needs a professional. I was scared to call my parents because they don't know about him being half ghost, and I didn't know what kind of questions they'd ask."

Harry sighed and put a hand on her shoulder. "You did a great job, Aly," he said, looking at her seriously. "Thank you very, very much."

Aly nearly swooned in relief. "Thank you, Mr. Potter," she said breathlessly, then her face split in a massive yawn. Harry smiled crookedly.

"You look beat," he said. "Why don't you crash on the living room couch while Ginny and I take over? You deserve the rest, after everything you did for Danny, Teddy, and James."

"What about Danny?" She asked, some stubborn part of her refusing to rest until she was sure her friend would be all right.

"Ginny and I can take care of him, we've done our fair share of healing," Harry assured her. "Go get some rest."

Another yawn split her face, and Aly couldn't refuse any more. "Okay," she said quietly, and stumbled into the living room and collapsed on the couch. She was out before her head hit the armrest.

* * *

The first thing Danny was aware of was light, soft, gentle morning light that teased him out of sleep. The next thing he was aware of was being in bed, where he could've sworn that he'd passed out on the hardwood floor the night before. Then, most surprising of all, he was aware of the distinct lack of pain.

He opened his eyes, and blinked. He was in his room, in bed, with the curtains drawn to keep out the morning light. The ectoplasm stains were gone from the windowsill and wall, and he suddenly remembered the injuries he'd received. He gently eased off his covers, and gasped in shock.

The enormous, painful slash across his chest was gone, completely gone, without even a scar to boast about. He gingerly touched the smooth, healed skin, but there was absolutely nothing to indicate that he'd nearly been sliced in half the night before. He did the same for his back, and came to the same result.

He tried to sit up, but all of a sudden his head began spinning, and his vision blurred. He slumped back down, feeling sick.

A knock sounded at his door, and before he could reply, it gently opened to reveal Harry, dressed in sweatpants and a t-shirt, and with a tray of breakfast in hand. Danny's heart sank suddenly as the entirety of the previous night's events returned to him. Would the wizard be angry that a ghost had found him? Would he throw Danny out? Over the past two months, Godric's Hollow had slowly become like home to the orphaned halfa, and the thought of being forced to leave sent shivers down his spine.

"Ah, you're awake!" Harry said, grinning with relief when he saw Danny's blue eyes fixed on him. His grin faded when he saw the guarded expression on the teenager's face, frighteningly similar to the expression he'd constantly worn when he'd first arrived in the Hollow.

Harry sighed and put the tray down on the floor. "Danny," he said slowly, "about last night—"

"Harry, I'm so, so sorry about what happened yesterday!" Danny burst out, hoping to prevent his expulsion by making it clear to his host how repentant he was. "I had no idea that Skulker would find me, and I didn't mean to put Teddy and James in danger, I never meant for any of it to happen! I'm so sorry—"

"Danny!" Harry said sharply, cutting the teenager off. Danny closed his mouth, his eyes wide with anxiety. The wizard saw this and smiled reassuringly.

"Danny, what you did last night was incredibly brave," he said gently, his smile widening to a grin at the halfa's dumbfounded expression. "You protected Teddy and James with your life, and that's nothing to be sorry for. In fact, we should thank you for protecting them so fiercely. We couldn't have left them in better hands."

Danny gaped like a codfish, unsure what to say. "But… it's _my_ fault that they were in danger in the first place!" He said finally. "The only reason Skulker came here was because of _me_. They wouldn't have been in any danger otherwise."

Harry shook his head, smiling ruefully. "Danny, I thought we were past this "everything's my fault" phase," he said lightly. "Granted, maybe the ghost wouldn't have attacked if you weren't here, _but_," he added quickly when he saw the look of grim satisfaction on Danny's face, "I honestly don't think it would've mattered one way or the other. The important thing is that things could've been so much worse if you _weren't_ here. _You're_ the one who kept the boys safe. _You're_ the one who made sure that nothing happened to them, and for that, Ginny and I are eternally grateful."

He paused, looking hesitant, and Danny gave him a curious look.

"Danny… the reason we went out last night," the wizard said, his green eyes serious, "it wasn't just to go to dinner. Ginny and I… we went to London to get the ball rolling to adopt you. We want you to be a part of our family, now more than ever."

Danny looked at him blankly, and Harry's expression turned apprehensive. "Is that okay?" He asked quietly. "I mean— oof!" The wizard grunted as the halfa threw his arms around him ecstatically, and began hugging him for all he was worth.

Harry froze for a second, then relaxed and hugged the teenager back. It was exceedingly rare that Danny showed any kind of affection past a smile, a pat on the shoulder, or a ruffling of hair for his friends and Teddy, so Harry considered himself very lucky to have been graced with a hug from the usually distant teenager.

"Aly and Teddy are waiting downstairs for you, mate," he said softly, releasing Danny and grinning at him. "But Ginny'll have both our hides if you don't have that tray shining clean when you come down, so for both our sakes, I suggest you tuck in."

Danny grinned back, and attacked the tray that Harry set in front of him. He was absolutely starving, he realized, and so it was quite easy to finish the mountain of eggs, bacon, toast, and cereal on the tray. When he finished, Harry took the tray back downstairs, and Danny got dressed and followed him.

"Danny!" The shriek reached his ears seconds before he was suddenly tackled, causing him to nearly fall backwards as he entered the family room.

"Aly!" He gasped, his air suddenly cut off as the girl's arms wrapped themselves around his neck. "Aly, I can't breathe! Lemme go!"

Aly did so, laughing with relief. "Don't you dare scare me like that ever again, Danny Fenton!" She scolded him. "You do, and I swear to G-d I'll- I'll- I'll string you up by your thumbs!"

Danny stared at her for a second before grinning lopsidedly. "Is that even possible?" He asked.

"Oh, I'll find a way," she told him, hazel eyes dancing.

"Danny!" Teddy pounced on him from behind, leaping onto his back and hugging him around the neck. "You're okay! That was brilliant, the way you slammed that ghost right out the door! You're a real superhero! That's _sooo_ _wicked!"_

Teddy continued to chatter, until Danny had finally had enough, and began spinning around in place in a halfhearted attempt to throw the little boy off. Teddy shrieked with laughter and tightened his grip on Danny, who grinned, hooked his arms under the boy's knees, and spun faster. Teddy's laughter pitched higher, and a few seconds later they both collapsed flat on their backs, laughing breathlessly on the floor. Aly and the Potters were laughing as well, and even James was babbling merrily from his playpen.

For the first time in five months, Danny felt at home, and he realized that he loved Godric's Hollow, possibly more than he'd loved Amity Park, the town he'd been born and raised in. His family may be gone, but he had a new family now, and he would protect them with his life.

* * *

Vlad Plasmius watched with growing disgust as Daniel laughed and joked with the people around him, the ones he had run away to. Skulker had failed to bring the younger halfa to him, but at least his spy cameras were in place.

_That idiotic walking can opener is good for something, at least,_ he sighed to himself.

"Daniel, Daniel," he said aloud, as though his god-son was in the darkened laboratory with him. "Do you honestly think that those people are safe with you around? Safe from Skulker, from Desiree, from Spectra—" his lips curled into a feral smile, his fangs glistening in the light of the screen— "from me?"

He paused the recording, called up a map of Britain, and used the tracking device embedded in all of his inventions to locate the house the transmission had come from. The building itself didn't show up on the map, but that didn't bother the evil halfa.

"Etienne was right," he muttered as he gathered the materials he needed. "_"If you want something done right, do it yourself."_"


	9. The Dark Father Returns

Walk Three Worlds  
A Danny Phantom/Harry Potter Fanfic  
By CaelumFelis  
Disclaimer: I don't own Danny Phantom or Harry Potter or anything associated with them.

* * *

**Chapter 9: The Dark Father Returns**

Over a week later, and Danny was still on Cloud Nine, the news that the Potters wanted to adopt him making him happier and giddier than he'd been since before he got his powers. Aside from an obvious change in attitude (Danny was no longer sullen and silent in school, but participated actively, to the point where he was getting better grades than he'd gotten in years), everything pretty much stayed the same, although Harry had promised to let him redecorate his room now that it was going to be his permanent residence.

It was Saturday, Halloween, and Danny and his friends were in the woods behind Chris's house. The three teens were deciding how they should dress for trick-or-treating that night— at least, they were trying to.

Danny was flying above the two Squibs, laughing gleefully, his glowing green eyes bright with happiness. Aly and Chris were lounging on the forest floor, watching the halfa play with large smiles on their faces.

"Maybe we should just nip the trick or treating," Chris suggested lazily.

"We could have a scary movie party!" Danny put in, coming to float upside down above them, hands folded behind his head as he hung vertically in midair.

"A scary what party?" Aly asked, looking up at her friend confusedly.

His iridescent eyes were incredulous. "You've never heard of movies?" He asked, shocked that she could be ignorant of something so basic.

"Oy, offspring of magical families here, mate," Chris told him, frowning. "We don't have any of that Muggle teckni-whatsit."

Danny shook his head and floated aimlessly away, muttering under his breath. Chris glanced at his watch. "Why don't we go inside for lunch?" He suggested. "Maybe Carson has some ideas."

Aly and Danny nodded, the halfa transforming in midair and landing with a soft thump on the ground. Aly shook her head and began berating him for doing something so "dangerous", but the way the American smirked and waved away her complaints told Chris that he'd heard it all before, possibly numerous times.

Grinning, he led his friends into his house, eagerly anticipating whatever fantastic meal his oldest brother had cooked.

* * *

"Hang on, hang on," Harry called, padding down the hall to the rebuilt front door. He straightened his t-shirt and ran a hand through his untamable black hair, and opened the door.

"Good day, Mr. Potter," the creature standing on his doorstep purred, flashing a frightening pair of fangs in a poisonous smile. "I trust you know who I am."

"Vlad Plasmius," Harry snarled, his hand going instantly to his wand as his mind replayed everything Danny had told him about his archenemy and foster father. "What the bloody hell do you want?"

"Just Daniel, my dear fellow," Vlad said simply, an evil smirk twisting his blue-skinned face. "There will be no need for unpleasantness if you simply hand the boy over quietly."

"Think again, slimeball!" Harry whipped out his wand and sliced the air between the two in a vicious arc. A slash of blazing purple fire issued from the wand and rocketed towards the demon in front of him, but to Harry's shock, it was merely batted away like an annoying fly.

"_Stupefy_!" The wizard roared, and a jet of red light shot from his wand. The ghost simply turned intangible, and the spell passed harmlessly through him.

_Shit_, Harry thought wildly, before a blast of pink energy sent him flying into the staircase behind him.

"Harry!" Ginny flew into the hall, James in her arms. She took a split second to gape in shock at her husband, then glared daggers at Vlad.

"You're not welcome here," she said flatly, her tone icy cold. "Leave my house immediately."

Vlad laughed. "My dear girl, you are in no position to command me," he said lightly, his bright crimson eyes boring into her defiant brown ones. "Just hand over Daniel, and we can all go our separate ways."

Her arms tightened around her son, horror racing through her. This was what Danny had been afraid of all along, why it had taken him so long to relax and trust them. It all came back to the monster in front of her, and she would be damned if he got his claws into the teenager she'd come to love as a younger brother.

"He's not here," she snapped, catching Harry's silent gripping of his wand. Plasmius didn't seem to notice, instead fixing her with a disbelieving gaze.

"That's not going to work, girl," he said contemptuously, pink energy racing around his clenched fists. He raised one and pointed it at her, and she gave a small gasp, while Harry leapt up with a furious roar and practically tackled the ghost to the ground, throwing them both off of the porch and into the yard.

"Ginny, _run!"_ He shouted as he grappled with the older, heavier, and obviously much stronger ghost. "Take James and go! I'll hold him off!"

She couldn't help the gasp that escaped her after hearing those words; they were almost a direct parallel to the ones she sometimes heard him mumble in his sleep, the last words his father had said twenty-four years before when Voldemort had come to prevent the prophecy from coming true. Only this time, it wasn't James Potter fighting for his family's lives, but his son, and not against the greatest Dark wizard of all time, but against one of the most evil ghosts they knew, who was also half-human.

_If I wasn't seeing this happen with my own eyes, I'd swear I was mad,_ she thought grimly, shifting James to her hip and pulling out her wand. However, she never got a chance to use it, as a pink ecto-blast caught her square in the chest. Blackness instantly came upon her, the last thing she heard was Harry's terrified and furious howl, and James's shriek of fear and surprise.

* * *

"So we know what we're gonna do, right?" Danny asked as he and his friends walked up the street to his house (his heart still leapt at that— it wasn't just the Potters' house anymore, it was _his_ as well!).

"Comic book heroes," Chris said, brown eyes shining at the great costume idea Danny had been struck with in the middle of lunch (or possibly at the memory of the halfa practically choking to death when it came). "You're Batman, I'm Superman, and Aly's Wonder Woman."

"How the hell are we going to get this done by the time trick-or-treating starts?" Aly asked worriedly. Godric's Hollow had a strict set of rules for Halloween: trick-or-treating started at five o'clock sharp, and ended at nine o'clock on the dot, and after that, no one was allowed out, unless it was an emergency. This was due to the wizarding population of the town (about a third of the total population) annually being a nuisance on the holiday, with tricks and costumes growing more elaborate, ludicrous, and in some cases dangerous every year. It was finally Halloween 1981 where things got out of control, as an apparent Halloween trick ended in the deaths of a local couple and the orphaning of their year-old son, and the complete destruction of their house. It was then that the town council decided to instate strict guidelines for the observance of the holiday, though some members had voted to ban it completely.

"Between Ginny and your mom, I'm sure it'll get done," Danny said confidently. "Besides, they don't have to be—" He stopped suddenly, and Chris and Aly nearly ran into him.

"Blimey, Danny, don't stop like that!" Chris said, surprised.

"What's wrong?" Aly said quietly, in the low, serious tone of voice she used when she sensed a negative emotion from someone. Chris heard this and moved so that he had a view of Danny's face, and blinked.

Danny was pale, his blue eyes wide and fixed on something in front of him. Chris followed his gaze to see the gate of the fence surrounding the Potter property lying a good ten feet away from its normal location, in the middle of the driveway, a huge black scorch mark in the middle, and the hinges still attached. The Squib frowned and glanced at Danny to see what the superhero made of it. Danny was simply staring blankly at the gate, looking at it like he couldn't quite comprehend what it was. Then he darted forward, kneeling next to the gate and running a finger along the scorch mark, then holding it up to his nose. His eyes widened even further, if that was possible, and Chris heard him whisper _"No"_, before dropping the gate and racing into the house, seeming not to notice the suspiciously wide-open door. Chris and Aly followed, their worry growing by the second as they watched their obviously distressed friend.

"Harry?" Danny called, and Aly shivered at the raw fear and worry that was emanating from the boy and coloring his voice. "Ginny? James?"

He paused a second, listening, but there was no response. He tried again, his voice pitching higher and shaking. "Harry? Ginny? James? Is anyone here?"

Another pause, and Aly was hugging herself in a feeble attempt to block out the waves of panic and desperation flowing to her. Her shields were for naught, Danny's emotions were too powerful, too intense. She could practically hear him thinking, _Not again, please not again!_

"Harry! Ginny! Please answer me! Where are you?" Danny cried, his voice cracking. He gave up shouting and raced into the kitchen. The Squibs followed, Chris supporting Aly, and entered just in time to see Danny sink weakly to the floor, a piece of paper in his hand.

Aly broke from Chris's grip and kneeled next to Danny, looping one arm around his shoulders while gently removing the paper from his grasp.

_My dear Daniel,_

_You've known that this was coming for a long time, I trust, so I will get to the point._

_I have the family in which you have ingrained yourself. You have until midnight tonight to surrender yourself to me, or else I will kill them, the child included. I know you wouldn't want any harm to come to these good people, and so I suggest that you heed my demand. _

_You've brought this on yourself, Daniel, by running away from me, and by involving innocent people. Did you honestly think that they would be completely safe, with you living under their roof? You should have joined me when you had the chance, little badger, before you tangled three innocent lives into your mess, lives that now hinge on your decision. Choose wisely._

_Sincerely, _

_Vlad Plasmius _

"Oh my G-d," Aly whispered, hands shaking as she read the letter. "Oh my _G-d_…"

"Damn… crazy… asshole… _fruitloop!_" Danny exploded, leaping to his feet and balling his fists, his eyes wide and wild. "I knew this would happen; I knew it! I never should have stayed here; I never should've let Harry talk me into coming! Now _he's_ got Harry and Ginny and James, and it's _my fault!"_

"Danny!" Chris said sharply, going up to his friend and shaking him roughly by the shoulders. "Snap out of it, will you? Panicking isn't going to help the Potters! Calm down!"

With a great deal of effort, Danny forced his racing heart to slow, taking deep breaths. He still felt tight and jumpy inside, and the panic and fear hadn't completely gone away, but they had dimmed a bit, enough to allow his brain to kick in, slow as usual.

"Okay," he said, looking uncertainly into his friend's concerned eyes. "I'm okay, I think."

Chris nodded and released him, still giving him worried glances. He'd never seen Danny lose it like that before, except for the time when he'd broken Jace Dovish's nose. But even then, his friend hadn't looked as terribly, horribly _lost_ as he did right now.

"Halloween's going to have to be put on hold," Chris said, trying to lift the heartbroken silence in the otherwise empty house. "You need to find them."

Danny nodded. "I know," he said quietly, then he frowned in thought. "I wonder if the Boo-merang can pick up his ecto-signature," he muttered under his breath, just loudly enough for the Squibs to hear. Abruptly, he switched forms and phased up through the ceiling. He was back a few seconds later, the green backpack filled with his ghost weapons in his hand. Without bothering to open the bag, he rummaged inside and pulled out a bracelet, an ecto-gun, and a boomerang looking device.

"Take these," he said, handing the bracelet to Aly and the ecto-gun to Chris, his fluorescent eyes harder and colder than the jock had ever seen them. "Plasmius is tall, white suit and cape with red lining, black gloves, boots, and collar, black hair in two points like horns, blue skin, red eyes. If he comes for you guys, you have the tools to defend yourselves. Thankfully, I don't think he cares about you two very much, he's focused on me. But you guys need to go home and _stay there_. I'm going to set this straight."

Seeing that there was no arguing with the furious and terrified halfa, Chris nodded. "Be safe, mate," he said quietly, slipping the ecto-gun into the pocket of his jeans.

Danny bit his lip and looked at the floor, then abruptly winked out of sight.

* * *

Ron Weasley was doing exactly what one expects to be doing on one's weekend: sleeping.

Being an Auror meant that there were times when there was absolutely nothing to do, and other times when he was amazed that he was still functioning despite the lack of sleep. He once went an entire week without seeing the underside of his eyelids.

Such was the reason why Ronald Weasley liked to sleep as much as he could.

However, he was roughly jolted out of this activity when a pair of cold hands gripped his shoulders tightly and started shaking him. Not even fully awake, instincts honed by years of friendship to the Dark Magic magnet that was Harry Potter and Auror training had him pulling his wand out from under his pillow and pointing it at whatever was holding him, while his brain fought to catch up with the rest of his body.

He opened his eyes to find himself holding the tip of his wand against the temple of a white haired boy with huge, glowing green eyes. He was dressed in a black jumpsuit, with a white collar, gloves, belt, boots, and some kind of logo on his chest. A large, stylized D with a smaller P inside.

_DP,_ Ron's sleep fogged mind registered. _DP. Danny Phantom. Danny _Fenton…

"Danny?" He mumbled, removing his wand from the teenager's head and blinking.

"Ron," the halfa said, releasing the wizard and floating in front of him. "I need your help."

Ron groaned, sitting up and stretching. "Can't Harry take care of it? It's bloody—" he glanced at his bedside table and the clock sitting upon it "—three in the afternoon. It's too early."

"That's the problem," Danny replied. "Harry's in trouble."

Ron snorted, grinning at the teenager. "When is Harry not in trouble?" Danny had heard all of the stories of Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny's school years, so he understood the joke. However, the expression on his face proved that the halfa was not amused.

"It's not funny, Ron! This is serious!" He said urgently, some of his mask slipping to reveal frustration and panic. Ron blinked, unused to Danny panicking. The only time he'd ever seen something remotely resembling panic on Danny's face was the expression he'd worn when Ron had asked what had happened to his sister the first night he was in Godric's Hollow, and that was over two months ago. Danny was one of the most level-headed, down to earth people he knew, besides his wife. Ron didn't think he even knew _how_ to panic.

But, apparently he did, because he was panicking right now. The teenager's eyes were huge, his breathing shallow and fast (Ron didn't want to know how that was even possible, considering that Danny was a ghost at the moment), and his body was shaking. Ron frowned. Something was definitely wrong.

_Well, bugger for you, Captain Obvious,_ an inner voice that sounded suspiciously like his wife said. _And now that we've established that fact, why don't we work on _why_ he's panicking, shall we?_

"What happened, Danny?" Ron asked quietly.

In a quiet voice shaking wildly with worry and fear, Danny told the Auror what he knew, which wasn't very much. However, what he knew was enough for Ron to immediately shift into "danger" mode, any plans of going back to sleep shattering to tiny pieces.

"Can your tracker thing find the slimeball?" The Auror asked, as he raced around his room, getting dressed.

"I think so," Danny said, holding up the Fenton Boo-merang. "Vlad's ecto-signature is twenty years stronger than mine, if this thing can find me ten years into the future, then it can definitely find Vlad right now."

Ron nodded, tucking his wand into the pocket of his robes. Danny handed him some strange-looking device out of the green backpack he was wearing.

"What's this?" The wizard asked curiously, turning the silver and green thing around in his hands.

"Ectoplasmic energy ray blaster," Danny rattled off. "Or ecto-gun for short. You hold it like this," he quickly rearranged Ron's hands around the weapon, "point it at any ghost that's _not_ me, and pull the trigger. The blast disrupts a ghost's ecto-signature; it's pretty much the only way to hurt them. It's a standard ghost power, and one of the first things that my parents looked into when designing weapons against them."

Ron nodded, not understanding a word of what Danny was saying, but trusting the teenager to know what he was talking about. He put the ecto-gun in another pocket of his robes.

"Ready to go?" He asked.

Danny nodded and phased up through the roof. Ron shook his head and left through the door, grabbing his broom as he went through the shed. As soon as he was outside, he mounted it and kicked up into the air, joining Danny above the roof.

"Lead the way," he told the halfa.

"Find Vlad," Danny told the Boo-merang, and threw it. The odd device immediately took off north east, in the direction of London, Ron noticed, and Danny was off like a shot after it. Ron followed, praying that his friend was all right.

* * *

Harry groaned, his head throbbing as he struggled out of the deep blackness he'd just spent an undetermined amount of time in. He opened his eyes to see bars, metal bars glowing strangely pink. His throat tightened as he realized what this meant.

He was trapped.

Harry hated being trapped. He hated being caged. He hated being confined in any way. The first eleven years of his life had been spent primarily in a closet under a flight of stairs, and then the next six summers afterward had taken place in a tiny spare room, leaving him fiercely claustrophobic. His jaw set, his fists clenched, and he began sweating nervously. He had to get out, had to get away, had to—

"Harry?"

Ginny's weak, frightened voice broke into the Auror's thoughts, and he forced his own fear back. He couldn't fall apart now, Ginny and James were counting on him. He turned to his wife and wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

"I'm here, love," he said quietly, and to his relief, his voice didn't shake.

"Where are we?" Ginny asked, also trying to mask how scared she was. She wasn't really succeeding, as her brown eyes were wide, and she was trembling. Her arms were tight around James, who was fast asleep, his small head resting against her neck.

Harry forced himself to look past the bars, and frowned when he realized that they appeared to be in a tall office building in London, since he could see Big Ben and the Parliament building out the plate glass windows. There was nothing around them. Their cage was the only object in the enormous room.

"London," Harry answered finally. "There's Big Ben, and the Parliament. We must've been out for a while."

_Danny's probably frantic,_ the wizard thought with a mental wince, remembering how terrified the boy had been when he'd thought Harry was going to throw him out after the ghost attack. He didn't voice this thought to Ginny though, knowing that his wife probably wouldn't appreciate the reminder.

"Indeed, Mr. Potter," a suave, oily voice purred, and Vlad Plasmius melted out of the shadows of the rapidly fading sunlight. Ginny squeaked in alarm, and Harry shifted imperceptibly in front of her, drawing his wand and fixing the ghost with his best glare, his green eyes as hard as solid jade.

"Plasmius," the wizard spat, crouching in preparation of standing, "what the hell is going on? Why did you bring us here?"

The halfa chuckled evilly. "You are bait," he said simply, floating over to the cage and leering at the family inside. James whimpered in his sleep, and Ginny tightened her arms around him, staring defiantly at the monster in front of them.

"Young Daniel will have no choice but to come here and surrender to me," Plasmius continued, baring his fangs in a gleeful, evil smile as his crimson eyes glowed murderously, "if he wishes for the family he has grown to love to survive."

"He won't give in to you," Harry said flatly. "Danny won't go with you without a fight."

Plasmius's leer grew wider, and he pressed a button on a remote control in his hand. The cage glowed brighter, and suddenly several pink bolts of lightning struck Harry.

It was a similar feeling to the Cruciatus Curse, but instead of the fire that the curse sent racing through his body, it was a billion ice cold, razor sharp needles that stabbed him everywhere: all over his skin, between his muscles, deep in his bones, through his organs. The pain was so intense that Harry couldn't even scream, his entire body seemed to be frozen solid. He could dimly hear Ginny and James screaming, but the sound was far away.

Then, without warning, the pain stopped, and Harry crumpled to the floor. He didn't black out, although his body ached so horribly that he wished that he would. He just focused on breathing for a few seconds, trying to get his heart rate back to normal.

"What—the bloody hell—was _that?_" Harry gasped. Merlin, it even hurt to _talk._

"What did you do to him, you monster?" Ginny screeched, wand out and pointed at the half-ghost's chest as she held James in her other arm.

Plasmius chuckled again. "Ectoplasmic charge," he said, "ectoplasm charged with five hundred volts of electricity. Not nearly enough to kill someone, but clearly," he sneered at Harry, who was still lying on the floor, "quite painful. However, if one is shocked with it enough times, the toll it takes on the body _will_ be enough to kill. This is what will happen if Daniel tries to fight me."

"_Stupefy_!" Ginny shrieked, and a jet of red light issued from her wand, only to hit the pink aura of the bars and bounce back. Ginny yelped and ducked, and the spell continued to ricochet until it finally lost energy and died.

"Oh, that reminds me," Plasmius said conversationally. "The energy surrounding the bars not only provides that wonderful shock you just experienced, but also repels any magic you try to use. Quite a useful side effect, I think. You will not be able to break out, and no one will be able to break you out. So I wouldn't suggest trying."

Ginny gritted her teeth in frustration, put her wand away, and kneeled next to her husband.

Harry felt sick. Once again, he was being used to hurt others. Sirius had died because Voldemort had used Harry to gain access to the Department of Mysteries. Now, Plasmius was using him to capture Danny and, judging by the murder gleaming in the demon's crimson eyes, kill him.

_No!_ Harry howled furiously in his mind, unable to gather the strength needed to speak. _Never again! I WILL NOT be responsible for the death of another innocent person!_

Suddenly, something flew into the room and struck Plasmius on the side of the head. The Potters watched blankly as the ghost snarled and grasped the object, a boomerang, Harry realized, in both hands.

"Oh, what stupidity is this?" Plasmius groaned, glaring down at the boomerang with a red gaze hot enough to melt it.

"_VLAD!"_

A white blur rocketed into the room with a furious roar and tackled Plasmius with enough force to knock him even loopier than he was before. Plasmius crashed to the floor, and the blur _turned_ in midair and screeched to a halt centimeters from the wall.

Danny Phantom was crouched with one hand on the floor for balance, and the other held up in a fist. He glared hatefully at Plasmius, his radioactive green eyes cold and lethal despite their hot glow. His snow white hair was messy and windblown, and he himself looked rather winded, as though he had greatly exerted himself. Harry realized with a shock that he must have flown all the way from the Hollow to London, a distance of about two hundred kilometers, at a very great speed.

"Danny!" Ginny cried, half relieved and half horrified that he was there. Danny glanced their way, and his eyes widened in shock.

"Harry?" His voice was quiet, uncertain, as though he thought the man would break at the sound of his voice. "Ginny, what happened to him?"

"The cage, it shocked him!" Ginny said shrilly. "Plasmius has something that controls it, I don't know what it's called!"

Just then, Ron flew in on his broom, and nearly fell off when he saw his sister and brother-in-law and nephew in a glowing pink cage. He tossed the broom away and whipped out his wand.

"_Alohamora_!" He shouted, but nothing happened.

"Ron, it's no use!" Ginny cried, almost in tears with fear and frustration. "It repels magic, we already tried!"

Ron grunted and ran to the cage, intent on getting his friend and sister out. He grasped one of the bars, and yelled in pain when the pink energy shocked him immediately.

"NO!" Danny shouted, standing up and facing Plasmius, his eyes glowing in response to the heat of his fury. "Vlad, stop! Leave them alone!"

"So you did get my note, little badger," Vlad said smugly, crossing his arms over his burly chest. "Have you come to a decision?"

Danny nodded, a strange expression of anger and regret on his face. "I have," he said quietly.

He suddenly transformed, a look of utter defeat appearing on his face at the same time as his eyes turned blue and his hair turned black.

"I'll go," he said miserably, "if you let them go."


	10. The Definition of Family

Walk Three Worlds  
A Danny Phantom/Harry Potter Fanfic  
By CaelumFelis  
Disclaimer: I don't own Danny Phantom or Harry Potter or anything associated with them.

* * *

**Chapter 10: The Definition of Family**

The Potters and Ron stared at Danny in disbelief, while Vlad smiled triumphantly.

"Ah, so you have learned something, after all," he purred, crimson eyes gleaming viciously at the boy. "Very good, Daniel. You can be taught."

Danny looked sick, but he glanced at the family in the cage and Ron gaping at him, and his will strengthened.

"You know the deal, Vlad," he said, his voice and expression confident and sure, positive in the rightness of his actions. "I go with you, you leave them alone."

Vlad shrugged, the movement hindered by his heavy cape, and smirked, his victory seemingly assured.

This smugness and the complete audacity of what Danny was doing was the last straw for Harry. He was furious, and, miraculously, his fury gave him the strength to speak.

"So you're just giving up?" He said, his anger making his voice firm, and Danny flinched, his façade crumbling with surprising speed. Harry winced internally at the pain on the teen's face, but he kept going. "Throw everything you've worked for away like it was nothing? I didn't think you worked like that, Danny. No, I _know_ you don't work like that. You don't give up, Danny. You've never given up before, why the bloody hell would you start now?"

The pure misery on the teen's face was heartbreaking, but Danny's voice was hard. "He threatened to kill you, Harry," he said. "You, Ginny, even James. I can't let that happen. I'll _die_ before I let that happen. I _will not_ lose my family again, Harry. I can't go through that again. I'd rather die or live with _him_ than watch the people I love die right before my eyes one more time. I have to do this."

"No, you don't," Harry replied, forcing his painful, aching body into a sitting position with Ginny's help. "Danny, Ginny and I are adults, we've done this kind of thing more times than we'd like to remember. We're not completely defenseless. We haven't fought almost our entire lives against Voldemort just to go out by way of an insane half-ghost."

"You have no idea what Vlad's capable of," Danny whispered, looking lost. "He's so powerful. You have no idea what he can do."

Harry wanted desperately to wipe that horribly powerless expression from the teenager's face, to ruffle his hair and put a hand on his shoulder and tell him that everything was going to be all right, the way he'd seen the Weasley boys do countless times to each other, but he was stuck in this stupid cage, with a body to painful and exhausted to move.

"Daniel is quite right, Mr. Potter," Vlad said smoothly, his fangs bared in a sly, slimy smile as he floated to Danny's side and put a huge hand on the boy's thin shoulder. Danny flinched from the evil halfa's touch, then gasped in pain when the demon gripped his shoulder hard as punishment. "It would be quite useless to fight me, and would only cause more pain."

"Get your filthy hands off of him!" Ginny shrieked, as Plasmius tightened his grip to prove his point, and Danny's face drained of color. To the boy's credit, he didn't utter a sound.

"_Stupefy_!" Ron shouted, the spell jetting out of his wand in a flash of red light. Plasmius just turned intangible, letting the spell pass harmlessly through his torso, then fired back a pink-ecto blast that caught the tall Auror square in the chest, sending him bowling backwards.

"Ron!" Ginny and Harry cried simultaneously, and Danny's face went as white as his hair in ghost form, but he still said nothing. Harry saw this and wracked his brain to find something to snap his surrogate little brother out of this.

"Danny, I know you're scared, but there's no reason to be," he called to the younger halfa, and Danny's wide blue eyes swiveled towards him. "You said that we couldn't fight Plasmius, that we didn't know what he could do. But does he know what _you_ can do? Does he know how powerful you really are?"

Danny blinked, seeming to slowly process what Harry had said. Harry watched with bated breath as the boy turned the words over in his mind, trying to find some loophole or untruth that he could use to ignore it entirely, but Harry knew that there was none.

Then, inexplicably, Danny's eyes switched from blue to glowing green, and before anyone knew what was happening, he'd phased out of Plasmius's grip and out of sight.

Harry grinned. He knew the look that had been on Danny's face in that split second. He'd been told that he had the same expression when he was dueling: brow furrowed with focused intensity, jaw set, eyes sharp and bright. Terrified, defeated Danny Fenton was no more. Ladies and gentlemen, confident, triumphant Danny Phantom has entered the building.

Plasmius growled and looked around furiously, his crimson eyes glowing furiously and his fangs bared. Against the wall behind them, Harry could see Ron, fingering his wand and watching Plasmius's every move with narrowed blue eyes as he listened to something only he could hear. He nodded imperceptibly, slowly rising to his feet. Like a cat on the prowl, he inched forward, wand drawn.

"What's he doing?" Ginny hissed in Harry's ear, her hand on his shoulder tightening, her nails digging into his t-shirt and skin nervously.

"Shh," Harry whispered gently. "He knows what he's doing. Danny probably has a plan. Just don't draw attention to him, it'll give him away."

She nodded, just as Plasmius was tackled again. Danny, in ghost mode, winked into view, his eyes positively feral.

"Ron, NOW!" He roared, wrenching Plasmius's arm back and revealing the remote control in his hand.

"ACCIO REMOTE!" Ron shouted, pointing his wand. The remote flew out of the evil ghost's hand and into Ron's.

"Got it!" He called, grinning triumphantly. "Sic him, Danny!"

"With pleasure," Danny grunted. He sent a barreling punch at Plasmius, who was too surprised to react, and took it right in the face.

Plasmius roared in fury and blasted Danny across the room. With a sickening crack, the younger halfa hit the wall and slid down, too stunned from the ecto-blast to go intangible through the wall.

"Danny!" Ginny cried, and Harry felt his heart seize. But Danny was right back up again, eyes blazing, if a tiny bit unfocused. He shook his head to clear it, and flew at Plasmius faster than anything Harry had ever seen.

"Ron, now might be a good time to get us out of here!" Harry called, keeping one eye on the fight and the other on his friend.

"How the bloody hell does this bloody thing work?" Ron shouted in frustration, too angry and frightened to consider his choice of vocabulary.

"Ron, just fry it!" Danny called to him as he dodged a glowing pink fist.

"_Expulso_!" Ron tossed the remote in the air and pointed his wand at it. The device exploded in midair, but the pink energy surrounding the cage still remained.

"Why didn't it work?" Harry heard Danny mutter as he blocked a powerful kick. He shot an ecto-blast, which Plasmius deflected with a shield, causing the blast to ricochet and hit the cage. The green energy was quickly absorbed into the pink, and Danny's eyes lit up. He jumped up to give Plasmius a two-footed kick in the chest, using the older halfa as a springboard to launch himself into the air straight at the cage.

"Danny, what the hell are you doing?" Harry shouted, wondering if the ghostly teen had finally lost it.

"Praying that I'm right!" Danny replied, as he grasped the top of the cage.

The pink aura of the cage brightened, and Danny's form suddenly began to glow as green as his eyes. Danny's face twisted in pain, but he kept his grip on the bar he was holding, and placed his other hand on it as well. His aura brightened, then dimmed, brightened, and dimmed, like the pulse of a star, growing brighter and stronger with each passing beat. The pink aura began to pulsate in time with his, growing fainter and weaker with each beat.

"My G-d," Plasmius murmured, watching the symphony of light with wide, incredulous red eyes.

"What's happening?" Ron yelled.

"Danny!" Ginny shrieked fearfully, arm tight around James, who was watching the lightshow with wide brown eyes.

Harry couldn't help but stare either. Through the pink and green glows, he could see Danny's face, no longer screwed up in pain, but strangely serene, his eyes closed and his brow furrowed just a bit in concentration. He looked as though he was meditating. Tendrils of pink energy snaked up the younger halfa's arms and were absorbed into the green aura.

"He's absorbing the energy from the cage," he murmured. "That's absolutely brilliant!"

Suddenly, the pink aura flickered, then died, leaving the bright green glow of Danny's aura. With a sigh, the teen let go of the bar and sank to the floor, leaning against the bars of the cage as he caught his breath. His aura faded, retracting back into his body like the claws of a cat, and for a few seconds he just sat there, breathing deeply.

"_Alohamora_!" Ginny wasted no time in trying the unlocking spell again, and this time it worked, and the door of the cage opened. She rushed out, kneeling next to Danny and checking him over. Harry followed more slowly, gently stretching his painful, cramped muscles. Ron raced over, his wand in one hand, and one of Danny's ecto-guns in the other. He stood in front of the little family, his cold blue eyes daring Plasmius to make a move.

"You okay, mate?" Harry asked, putting a hand on Danny's cold shoulder.

Danny opened his eyes and gave a wry smile, his eyes glowing even brighter than before. "Better than okay," he said. "How do you feel? You scared the shit out of me back there, Harry, lying there all still like that. I'd thought Vlad had gone back on his deal."

Harry grinned and ruffled the young ghost's hair. "I'm hard to kill," he said. "A little sore, and certainly not looking forward to getting shocked again, but otherwise I'm okay. I just need to stretch."

Danny nodded, then turned to Ginny. "You two hold up all right?" He asked, nodded towards the one-year-old, who was staring at Danny with wide, curious eyes.

"We're fine, Danny," Ginny smiled, smoothing back the white hair that Harry had messed up. "A little shell-shocked, but perfectly sound."

"As touching as this is, everyone, I think it's time to refocus," Ron cut in, glancing back at his family. "Danny, you ready to go?"

Danny nodded, floating to his feet and phasing his hand through the green backpack Ron was wearing. He pulled out another ecto-gun, and two belt-looking things.

"Ginny, take James and go to Ron's," Harry told his wife. "I don't want you two getting caught in the crossfire."

"But—" Ginny tried to say, but a gentle kiss from Harry stopped her.

"We'll be fine, love," Harry told her quietly, resting his forehead on hers for a few seconds. Then he backed up and smiled at her. "This should be over pretty quick, eh, Danny?" He grinned at his surrogate younger brother, who gave him a reckless grin in return.

"If I have anything to say about it," he answered, cocking the ecto-gun, which whined as it charged.

"Ginny, go on," Ron said, smiling at his little sister. "It's not like we haven't done something like this every school single school year, or every single day, for that matter. We'll be okay."

"Please, Ginny," Danny said quietly, his iridescent eyes pleading.

Ginny sighed, and nodded. It was frustrating, not being in the action again, but she knew that her son's safety came first, and she knew better than to argue with overprotective men.

"You three better come home in one piece, or I'll hex you into next year!" She threatened.

"Magic doesn't work on ghosts, remember?" Danny said, grinning cheekily. "Now get going!"

Ginny laughed, and Disapprated with a quiet pop.

The two men and teenager gave a relieved sigh when she and the baby left, then turned their minds to other things, like the enraged half-ghost bearing down on them from above.

"MOVE!" Danny shouted, pushing the other two men out of the way with surprising strength. They all tumbled to the floor, Danny leaping right back up again and throwing up an ecto-shield.

"Harry, the ecto-gun's for you," he said, keeping the shield up with one hand as he tossed the device at the wizard. "You guys better put your wands away, I think we've established that they're next to useless against ghosts, especially malevolent ones. The belts are called Specter Deflectors, it's pretty much a personal ghost shield. Vlad won't be able to touch you, but neither will I. So don't try to hug me while you're wearing 'em. Hurry up and suit up, I can't keep this up much longer!"

Harry pocketed his wand and put one of the Specter Deflectors around his waist, locking it with a key that was hanging from it, and pocketing that as well. He smiled at the irony of it: he, a twenty-five-year-old, fully trained and licensed Auror, taking orders from a half-ghost ten years younger than him. He gripped the ecto-gun in his right hand and nodded at Danny.

"Let's go, mate," he said. Danny grinned at him.

"Blimey, this is so weird, even for _us_," Ron grumbled.

"Welcome to my life," Danny laughed. "Three, two, one!" He dropped the shield and leapt into the air, immediately firing ecto-blasts at Plasmius. The bigger ghost practically tackled the younger to the ground, but Danny kicked him off and flipped back onto his feet, so fast that the bright glow of his eyes followed him. Plasmius flew at him again, and they were locked in a mid air series of punches, kicks, dodges, blocks, ecto-blasts, shields, and taunts. Harry didn't understand half the things they were saying, but he didn't care, he could only gape at what an amazing fighter Danny was. The boy's movements were faster, more fluid, and more graceful than anything Harry had ever seen. Block turned into punch turned into kick turned into blast turned into kick turned into punch turned into shield, all while a flood of sarcastic quips, scathing insults, and sharp wit flowed from his mouth. How such a talented person could doubt himself so much was beyond Harry.

"Oof!" Danny grunted, as an unexpected and rather brutal chop landed on his shoulder. Using the force of the blow, Danny rolled down and kicked Plasmius in the chest with both feet, sending the older halfa tumbling while the younger landed on both feet in mid air. Without missing a beat, Danny launched a roundhouse kick to Plasmius's head, capitalizing on the demon's moment of imbalance and sending him crashing to the floor. Plasmius shook his head and leapt back into the air, murder in his glowing red eyes, snarling in fury. He rocketed at the superhero, and latched his huge, strong hands around the teen's neck.

"DANNY!" Harry and Ron shouted simultaneously. Danny just smirked and phased out of Plasmius's grip, kicking him in the gut for good measure. The bigger ghost recovered quickly, and with an evil sneer, duplicated himself into four.

"Oh, _shit!"_ Danny cried, before he had to duck a punch only to get a kick in the stomach, a chop to the back, and a blast to the head.

"Ron, we have to do something," Harry said urgently, gripping his ecto-gun and gritting his teeth in agony as he watched Danny's punishment.

"I'm open to suggestions," Ron said tersely. "I'd feel a lot better about this if I knew how to use this stupid thing." He brandished the ecto-gun in his hand, and accidentally pulled the trigger.

A blast of glowing green energy issued from the ecto-gun, and Harry ducked as the blast whistled inches from his head and hit the opposite wall. He grinned at his partner, who met it with wide blue eyes.

"You were saying?"

With identical evil grins, worthy of the Weasley twins back when they were still together and in school, Harry and Ron held up their ecto-guns and aimed at one of the duplicates. They began firing, and two of the duplicates detached themselves from the group and flew at the wizards.

"What'd Danny say the weird belts could do?" Ron called as he continued to fire at his ghost.

"He said that he and Plasmius wouldn't be able to touch us!" Harry called back, ducking a pink ecto-blast.

"What the hell does that mean?" Ron growled, sidestepping as his ghost tried to tackle him.

Harry yelped as his ghost suddenly grabbed hold of his shirt, but the ghost suddenly shrieked in pain and let go. Harry didn't have time to think, he just acted as he grabbed the ghost's wrist as it pulled away. The ghost duplicate began shrieking again, and Harry finally realized what was happening.

"Ron! The reason Danny and Plasmius can't touch us is because the belts hurt them!" Harry yelled to his friend, tightening his grip on the ghost as it tried to pull away.

Ron nodded and grabbed his own ghost's wrist as he ducked a punch. Together, the two men waited until the pain was unbearable enough for the two duplicates to finally wink out of existence, leaving only the third duplicate and the original for Danny to deal with.

But as Harry once again watched his surrogate younger brother fight for his life, he realized with a sinking heart that the teen was slowing down. His movements weren't as graceful or as fluid as they'd been, and he could see the fatigue in Danny's fluorescent green eyes. Plasmius didn't look much better, but judging by the widening smirk on his face, he was seeing the same thing as Harry. And the grim look on Danny's face said quite clearly that he knew all too well what was happening.

Then, suddenly, he broke away from the two ghosts that were beating the stuffing out of him and flew over to Harry and Ron.

"Get behind me and cover your ears," he said, his tone and expression booking no argument. Harry and Ron did as they were told, Harry conjuring industrial strength noise canceling headphones for himself and Ron in preparation for whatever Danny was planning.

The teen stood in front of them, feet spread apart, breathing deeply. Harry watched with growing apprehension as the two Plasmiuses rocketed towards them, twin visions of the devil, red eyes gleaming like fresh blood. But Danny didn't move, didn't even flinch an inch. The twin evil grins on the ghosts' faces widened when they realized that their prey was just standing there, and they flew even faster. Still Danny waited, and Harry was seconds away from casting a Shield spell around the three of them.

Suddenly, Danny sucked in a huge breath …and _screamed._

The sound that issued from the teenager's mouth seemed similar to that of a banshee, but a thousand times more powerful, and even more unearthly. In fact, it sounded like something Peeves the Poltergeist would do if he was really serious about scaring people. Harry could practically see the sound waves as they rocketed from Danny's mouth, slamming into the two ghosts and throwing them against the wall. The duplicate winked out of existence, leaving the original pinned to the wall by pure, horrible, powerful sound.

_The Ghostly Wail,_ Harry realized, his mind flashing back to that first day over two months ago, standing in the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures as Danny registered, and wondering why he had refused to show off that one power.

"_I'm too wiped, and it's too strong. If I did it right now, the energy it takes would knock me out for at least a day, and not only would this room be totally destroyed, but I'm willing to bet that the entire wing would probably go out, too. Find me someplace in the middle of nowhere with nothing important to destroy, and then I'll show it to you."_

Now he understood. As he watched with growing disbelief the complete and utter destruction the Wail was waging on the room, he understood completely what Danny had been talking about that day. The Wail was a last ditch effort, a Hail Mary play, the last possible move he could make before admitting defeat. A desperation move.

And he knew Danny was desperate. The teen was weak, injured, and exhausted, while Plasmius, while still all of the above, had more power simply due to age. The way they had been going, Danny was going to crash long before Plasmius ran out of steam. Harry dimly wondered if any of the ghost energy the younger halfa had sucked from the cage had helped at all in the fight.

Then, suddenly, it ended, as quickly as it had begun. Plasmius slid to the floor, unconscious. Danny gulped air and dropped into a dizzy crouch, head between his knees, even though he hissed in pain as the position aggravated some of his injuries. Harry and Ron gingerly took off their headphones and kneeled down next to him.

"You okay, mate?" Harry asked, gently laying a hand on his shoulder. Danny hissed again, but nodded.

"I'll be okay," he said quietly, his voice hoarse from the Wail. "Thermos, please."

Ron slid the backpack off his back and handed it to the younger ghost. Danny didn't bother opening it, but phased his hand in and rummaged around. He pulled out a Thermos, unscrewed the top, and pointed it at Plasmius. He pressed a button on the side, and a jet of bluish-white light issued from the mouth of the container and struck the evil ghost, enveloping him in a cloud of bluish-white light. Plasmius turned intangible, an opaque blue-white, and was sucked into the Thermos like a noodle. Danny capped the cylindrical container with a sigh, and transformed in a flash of white light.

"Shoulda… done that… long time ago…" He muttered, swaying a bit. His eyes closed, and Harry quickly took off his Specter Deflector and caught the teen as he keeled over.

"_Time out."_

The world froze, as another ghost appeared out of thin air in a whirl of familiar bluish-white light. He was a tall, handsome ghost, ignoring the strange, jagged scar under his left eye, dressed in a long purple hooded cloak and carrying an odd staff topped with an hourglass. A heartbeat later, he was older— haunch-backed, with a long white beard cascading down his front, his face wrinkled with countless age. Three heartbeats later, and the ghost shrunk, his beard traded for buck-teeth, his body and face becoming smoother, rounder, childlike. He smiled at the threesome in front of him, a sly, knowing smile that bore neither good- nor ill-will. His red eyes swept absently around the completely destroyed room as he reached into his cloak. He pulled out three objects, gear-shaped medallions on black ribbon, to be worn around the neck. The medallions bore the insignia "CW", and the ghost (now middle-aged once again) fingered them lovingly as he continued to study the two men and the teenager before him, brothers in every way but blood.

"All is as it should be," he said quietly, his voice deep, smooth, soothing, and utterly timeless. He sighed, dreading the task ahead, even though he knew exactly what would be said, and what the final outcome would be, and slipped each medallion over each head.

Ron and Harry blinked, and Danny slumped further in Harry's arms, on the verge of passing out.

Ron was the first to realize that they weren't alone, and he leapt to his feet, aiming his ecto-gun at the ghost's head and snarling protectively. Harry's arms tightened around Danny, and he fixed the ghost with his best glare, daring him to come closer.

The ghost held up his hands, leaving his staff to float in midair beside him. "I mean no harm, Ronald Bilius Weasley, Harry James Potter," he said, his form switching to old-age as though agreeing with his words. "I am a friend."

Ron lowered his ecto-gun slightly, aimed for the elderly ghost's chest instead of his head. "Who the hell are you?" He snapped, his blue eyes frosty with distrust. "What do you want?"

"I am Clockwork, Master of Time," the ghost replied as his form shifted to childhood. "I came to ensure the safety of my charge and his new family." He nodded at Danny, who was struggling to stay awake.

"Clock… work?" He slurred quietly, sitting up a bit in Harry's arm and fixing the ghost with an exhausted blue gaze. "What're… you doin'… here?"

"Collecting this," Clockwork said, picking up the Fenton Thermos sitting on the floor. "Very well done, Danny. Thanks to you, the timeline is now exactly as it should be. Very well done indeed."

"But… the timeline… with the explosion… that wasn't… supposed to happen," Danny protested weakly. "I was… supposed to save… my family… I messed up!"

"Did you?" Clockwork asked, raising an eyebrow as his form shifted again to middle age. "Families come in all shapes and sizes, Danny. Just because you're not related to the Potters by blood didn't make you any less determined to save them, did it?"

"You're not… listening… to me," Danny whispered, looking pained. "My mom… my dad… my sister… I was supposed… to save them… I couldn't… I failed…"

Clockwork sighed, and Harry gave the ghost a sharp look. The bent over, skinny old ghost, with beard drooping, seemed uncomfortable, although how Harry could tell, he didn't know.

"I'm sorry Danny," the time ghost said, his red eyes sad. "But everything is as it should be. That is all I can say. But your friends and sister were right. This is your second chance. You shouldn't waste it mourning, although I know you find it impossible to forget. You saved your family, Danny, your new family, and you have a great life ahead of you with them. Focus on what _is, _instead of what could have been."

Danny was about to object again, when his eyes suddenly closed, and he slumped back against Harry.

"Danny? Danny!" Harry said worriedly, trying to wake him.

"Relax, Mr. Potter," Clockwork said gently. "He'll be fine. He's had a long day. I think the best thing for you to do now is take him home."

Harry nodded, brow furrowed in concern, as he gently gathered the young halfa in his arms, slightly surprised at how light he was for his age. Ron called his broom, and gathered up the ecto-guns and Specter Deflectors and put them back into the green backpack. When he looked around for the Fenton Thermos containing Vlad Plasmius, Clockwork held it up, a sly smile on his bucktoothed face.

"I'll be keeping this, Mr. Weasley," he said, stowing it in his cloak. "I seem to have amassed a bit of a collection, thanks to Danny." He gripped his staff, and his eyes glowed red.

"_Time in."_

A bluish-white haze built up around the two wizards, and they inched closer together, Ron with his wand out, and Harry holding tight to Danny. A flash of light, and they were gone.


	11. Epilogue: These Small Hours

Walk Three Worlds  
A Danny Phantom/Harry Potter Fanfic  
By CaelumFelis  
Disclaimer: I don't own Danny Phantom or Harry Potter or anything associated with them.

* * *

**Epilogue: These Small Hours**

* * *

"_Let it go._

_Let it roll right off your shoulder._

_Don't you know?_

_The hardest part is over._

_Let it in._

_Let your clarity define you in the end._

_You will only just remember how it feels."_

* * *

One Month Later

Danny fidgeted in the hard wooden chair he was sitting in, loosening the tie around his neck just a bit to make breathing easier. He glanced around the nearly empty courtroom, and his gaze came to rest on the judges' bench, which was currently empty as the three District Juvenile Court judges reviewing his case were at that particular moment deciding whether he could stay with the Potters or not.

Next to him, the family lawyer the Potters had hired stacked up his notes and neatly filed them away in his briefcase, seemingly unconcerned with the judges' long deliberation. He noticed the halfa's nervousness and shot him a small, reassuring smile.

"Relax, Danny," he said, shutting his briefcase with a quiet snap. "The judges aren't morons, they'll see that the Potters are good people, and that you'll be in great hands with them."

Danny smiled tightly in return, then turned and looked back at the small group of people seated right behind the weird fence dividing the courtroom: Ginny and James Potter, Teddy Lupin, Ron and Hermione Weasley, Aly McKos, and Chris Glock— in short, his entire family. Teddy, Aly, and Chris waved to him, hopeful grins on their faces. Danny waved back uncertainly, and Aly frowned and mouthed "What's wrong?" Danny didn't reply, just closed his eyes and let his emotions flood out like an invisible tidal wave, knowing that she would feel and understand.

And she did. Her eyes widened when she felt the fear and uncertainty coming from her friend, and she leapt up, leaned over the short fence, and grabbed him in a tight hug. Danny jumped, but quickly recovered, and hugged her back, glad for the physical comfort, which was what he wanted the most at the moment. Aly understood this, and gently played with his hair while he burrowed in her arms.

_The fierce alley cat's been tamed_, she thought, smiling.

"It's okay, Danny," she whispered to him, brushing the ebony bangs from his eyes. "It'll be okay. The judges will do their thing, we'll go home, and that'll be that. There's nothing to worry about."

He gave her a wan, hesitant smile as the judges came in, she gave him one last squeeze, and then both returned to their seats. The judges sat down at their bench, and looked down at the small group.

"Defendants, please rise," the head judge said, and Danny did as he was told, forcing his body to stay visible and tangible. Beside him, Harry rose as well, looking as uncomfortable as Danny felt in his suit.

"We have reviewed the information, and in light of the recent disappearance of Daniel's current legal guardian, Mr. Vlad Masters, we have decided to accept Mr. Harry Potter's request to become Daniel's legal guardian."

The rather long, technical sentence took a minute to register in Danny's mind, and it didn't help that a veritable wall of noise blasted him in the back the second the judge finished speaking. When the words finally clicked, it was all Danny could do to keep from launching straight into the air in jubilation.

It was over. He was free, finally free, back with a family that loved him, even if that family wasn't related to him by blood. But as Harry ruffled his hair and Ginny kissed him on the cheek and Teddy locked himself around his waist and James happily shrieked "Dee, Dee, Dee!", he remembered that blood didn't matter, they loved him just the same.

Seconds after the Potters and Teddy released him, the Weasleys pounced on him, and then Aly and Chris. As one best friend slapped him good-naturedly in the back, his other best friend wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him solidly on the mouth.

"Didn't see _that_ one coming," Ron commented, grinning as he draped an arm around Hermione's shoulders.

Danny didn't pay any attention to anything else, least of all his new brother-in-law. He was too absorbed in kissing Aly back, and dimly wondered where on earth people in Godric's Hollow went while on dates.

"All right, all right, knock it off, you two, before you scar poor Teddy for life," Chris grumbled, grinning as he watched his two best friends go at it. Danny and Aly broke apart, both bright red and smiling shyly. Danny kept a solid grip on Aly's hand, and stammered as he asked, "Y-you w-wanna g-go o-out s-some t-time, A-Aly?"

Aly giggled and nodded. "I'd love to," she said quietly.

"So Danny, how's it feel to have a dad only ten years older than ya?" Ron asked, with an evil grin at Harry.

Harry and Danny both frowned at Ron. "Danny doesn't have to call me "Dad" if he doesn't want to," Harry said firmly. He glanced at Danny. "In fact, I'd prefer if you didn't. I'd rather think of you as a kid brother, having a fifteen year old son at twenty five is just too weird."

Danny nodded. "I agree," he said, relieved. "Besides, I can't call anyone who doesn't dress in an enormous orange jumpsuit "dad" anyway. And if you don't mind, Harry, I don't want to change my last name."

Harry smiled and nodded. "That's fine, mate," he said, ruffling his new brother's hair again.

"Come on, everyone," Ginny said. "We'd better get to the Burrow before Mum has a heart attack. She's been dying to meet Danny."

The group left the court house, arm in arm, laughing and joking and teasing each other. Danny couldn't wait to meet his new mother in law, and the famous Weasley clan, and as he climbed into Harry's station wagon, he wondered what they'd be like, and if they'd be as accepting of him as his new brother and sister-in-law were.

"Ready Danny?" Harry asked, looking in the rearview mirror. Danny grinned back.

"Ready," he said.

* * *

"_All lives are made_

_In these small hours,_

_These little wonders,_

_These twisting turns of fate._

_Time falls away,_

_But these small hours,_

_These small hours,_

_Still remain."_

* * *

Molly Weasley was putting the finishing touches on the enormous dinner she'd prepared when she'd heard a knock on the door.

_Oh, it's them!_ She thought happily, quickly wiping her hands on her apron and covering the cake she'd just decorated.

"I'll get it, dear!" Arthur shouted, sounding nearly as excited as Molly felt. She heard the door open, and Arthur's exclamations of happiness as he greeted his son, daughter, and their spouses.

"Molly, they're here!" Arthur called.

"Coming, coming!" The petite, soft-looking redheaded woman called, hurrying into the hall. She gripped her two children, now both at least a head taller than her, in an enormous hug.

"Ron, Ginny, welcome home!" She said, as they struggled to get out of her grip.

"Mum, it's only been two days!" Ginny gasped.

"Mum, I know you're glad to see us, but get off!" Ron grumbled. Molly laughed and released them, looking at Ron critically.

"Ronald, have you been eating regularly?" She asked, frowning. "You're terribly thin."

Ron rolled his eyes. "I'm _fine_, Mum," he said exasperatingly. "It's just been a bit… hectic, the past couple of weeks."

Molly gave her youngest son a sharp look, and turned to Ginny. Instantly, she knew something was different about her daughter. And while she had a vague idea what it was, she wanted Ginny to tell her.

"Ginny, dear?" She asked quietly, raising an eyebrow. Ginny blushed, and Molly knew.

"Hey, Mum," she said quietly, grinning madly. Molly matched her grin, and turned to her children-in-law.

"Harry, Hermione, how are you?" She asked, hugging them both tightly.

"Great, Mum," Harry answered, hugging her back.

"Doing fine, Molly," Hermione said, and Molly instantly realized that something was different about her as well.

_Merlin!_ She thought happily.

"Grandma Molly!" Teddy piped up, leaping into his god-grandmother's arms.

"Ah, there you are, dear!" Molly said, easily picking the seven year old up. "Having fun with Uncle Harry and Aunt Ginny?"

"Don't forget Danny!" Teddy said, pointing at the teenager hanging back in the doorway, looking hesitant. "Come on, Danny, come meet Grandma Molly!"

Molly put Teddy down, and he ran through the group of adults and grabbed the teenager's hand.

"Come _on_, Danny!" The little boy whined, pulling the older one forward. The teen smiled, and allowed himself to be dragged in front of Molly.

Molly studied her new son-in-law intently. With only a few subtle differences, the similarity between him and Harry was astonishing. Messy black hair did nothing to hide the pair of bright blue eyes that were studying her just as closely, and he had the same pale complexion as his adoptive older brother. He was quite a bit taller than Harry had been, but he was just as slim, and had the same cautious, careful air about him. Molly smiled, and the boy relaxed and grinned back.

"Welcome, Danny," she said warmly, "I'm Molly, Ginny and Ron's mum. Arthur, where are you? Come over here and say hello to your son-in-law."

The tall, thin man came to stand next to his wife from where he'd been talking quietly to Ron, and gave Danny a quick once-over.

"Hello, Danny," he said, grinning at the boy. "I'm Arthur. You're going to have to tell me everything about the Muggle world. After we eat, of course," he added quickly, seeing his wife's dangerous look.

* * *

"_Let it slide._

_Let your troubles fall behind you._

_Let it shine,_

_Till you feel it all around you._

_And I don't mind_

_If it's me you need to turn to._

_We'll get by._

_It's the heart that really matters in the end."_

* * *

_Déjà vu,_ Danny thought wryly, smiling as he thought of his first dinner at the Potters. This was almost the same thing, only crazier than Danny had ever expected.

For instance, tonight the ENTIRE Weasley family was present. Bill and his wife Fleur, and their five year old daughter Victoire, Charlie, who Ron said on vacation from his job in Romania, Percy and his twin daughters Molly and Lucy, and finally George and his wife Angelina, and their son Fred. In all, there were nineteen people crowded into the Burrow's rather small dining room. The kids, Charlie, and Percy ate in the kitchen, while Danny and the adults took turns at the dining room table, feasting on some of the best food Danny had had in a very long time.

"How on earth did you not learn how to do any of this?" He asked Ginny between bites of a delicious steak and kidney pie (he didn't even care that it was _kidneys_, it was absolutely heavenly!). Ginny just gave him that odd smile she'd been fond of lately.

As the party wound down, the food slowly disappearing and the partiers getting fully and lazy, Ginny and Hermione stood and said that they needed to make an announcement. Danny was sent to fetch Charlie, Percy, and the kids from the kitchen, and everyone crowded into the dining room. Danny was slowly being bored to death by a lecture about cauldron thicknesses from Percy, until Charlie finally put a Silencing Charm on him to shut him up.

"Now, everyone, please give your attention to Ginny and Hermione," Arthur called, turning to the two women, who were giggling like schoolgirls.

"Wonder what's gotten into them?" George muttered. "I don't think I've ever seen Hermione act this silly before."

Angelina shushed him, just in time, because Ginny and Hermione had finally got over their giggles.

"We have an announcement to make," Ginny said, grinning madly.

"We're—" Hermione started.

"—pregnant," Ginny finished.

The room stood stock still for a split second, then pandemonium erupted as Harry and Ron simultaneously leapt up and wrapped their arms around their wives. The women in the room shrieked and the men shouted, all calling out words of congratulations, questions, and teasing remarks.

"Gonna be a big brother again, Danny!" George hooted, ruffling the halfa's hair.

"Technically, I'm James's uncle," Danny said, grinning.

* * *

"_All lives are made_

_In these small hours,_

_These little wonders,_

_These twisting turns of fate._

_Time falls away_

_But these small hours,_

_These small hours_

_Still remain."_

* * *

Twelve Years Later

"Ginny, where are the keys?" Harry called, rooting around the kitchen.

"I'm sorry, dear, I haven't seen them," Ginny called back, charming the two trunks to be feather-light while her nine year old daughter Lily watched with wide eyes.

"Mum!" James, now twelve years old, raced into the family room, his eyes bright and excited. "I just got an owl from Claire Lieber, the captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch team! She said I can try out for Seeker!"

"That's fantastic, dear," Ginny said, grinning at her son.

"Brilliant, James," Harry called, shooting the boy a grin. "Now where are those blasted keys?"

"Mum?" Eleven year old Albus asked timidly. "Could I be a Seeker?"

Before Ginny could reply, James jumped in.

"No way!" He sneered. "First years _never_ get on the teams, and besides, you're too little anyway. And even if you did get on a team, it wouldn't be Gryffindor. You'd be on the Slytherin team!"

"I'm not going to be in Slytherin!" Albus shot back, his green eyes flashing angrily.

James's grin widened. "Slytherin, Slytherin!" He teased.

"Boys, that's enough," Ginny said sharply. "Have you brushed your teeth?"

"Yes, Mum," they chorused jadedly.

"Al, did you comb your hair?" She asked, eyeing the messy ebony mop on the top of her youngest son's head.

"Yes, Mum," he answered, nodding. "It won't stay flat."

Ginny sighed. "Harry, do you think you could do something about Al's hair?" She called.

"Aha! Found 'em!" Harry called triumphantly, holding the errant keys up before pocketing them. "What's that, love?"

"Al's hair," Ginny repeated. "He says he combed it, but it still looks like a bird's nest. Could you do something about it?"

Harry came over and studied his youngest son with a practiced eye. Poor Albus had inherited his hair, in all of its eternally messy, pitch-black glory, and Harry knew from experience that it would take nothing less than an act of G-d to get it to simply lie flat, let alone look presentable. Albus had even adopted Harry's habit of trying to flatten it with his hand when he was nervous, which he was doing at the moment. Harry smiled at him and just ruffled it up even more.

"Ginny, you know as well as I do that my hair and Al's always looks like birds' nests," Harry said, shooting his wife a large grin. "I don't see any problem with it."

Ginny sighed, but was saved from responding by the sudden appearance of Danny and Aly.

"Uncle Danny!" Lily shrieked, leaping on the now fully-grown halfa. Danny laughed and swung the little girl around.

"Hey there, princess!" He said.

"Danny, you know you can't just phase into people's houses like that," Ginny scolded, grinning as she gave her adoptive brother-in-law a kiss on the cheek.

"Sorry, Ginny, but Harry changed the password on the door again," Danny replied, tickling Lily as he held her upside down.

"Put me down! Put me down!" Lily demanded, screaming with laughter.

"What's the magic word?" Danny asked playfully.

"Please!"

"Okay." With a quick twist, he flipped the little girl over and set her back down on her feet, gently holding her steady until the dizziness of the blood rushing out of her head passed.

"Uncle Danny, look! I'm gonna try out for _Seeker!_" James said, shoving his letter under Danny's nose.

"Really?" Danny took the letter and quickly scanned it. "Wow, that's impressive, James. Really taking after your old man, huh?"

"Yup!" James said proudly, as Danny handed him back the letter.

"Hey, Al, ready for your first year of school?" Danny said, grinning at the carbon-copy of Harry who was standing quietly behind James.

Albus nodded, shooting Danny a nervous smile.

"Uncle Danny, are you coming to King's Cross with us again?" James asked hopefully.

Danny shook his head. "Sorry, buddy, not this year," he said, smiling apologetically. He wrapped an arm around Aly, who'd been chatting with Ginny. "Aunt Aly and I have an appointment we have to go to."

"Aw, but it's Al and Rose's first year!" Wailed Lily. "You _have_ to come!"

"Sorry, princess," Danny said, patting his niece on the head, "but we can't get out of it. You'll survive one year without me."

"And we'll be on the platform waiting for you when you come home for Christmas," Aly cut in, smiling at the downcast kids.

"Promise you'll write to us?" Albus asked quietly, his big green eyes, the exact same eyes that Harry had, locking onto Danny's blue ones hopefully.

"You betcha, small-fry," Danny answered, ruffling Albus's hair. "You'll be the first to know when I crack a case. Promise."

"Speaking of which," Harry said suddenly, giving Danny a sharp look, "this appointment of yours wouldn't be with Mundungus Fletcher at the Three Broomsticks, would it?"

"Nope, that's next week," Danny replied, grinning wickedly at his older brother. "Relax, Harry, he's just giving me some information on a case I'm working. I swear it's nothing Dark or dirty or malevolent, just a little history lesson over some butterbeer."

Harry just shook his head ruefully. "Bloke's too old to be doing what he does," he muttered.

"But he's so darn good at it," Danny laughed.

"Harry, we should get going," Ginny said. "Boys, say goodbye to Uncle Danny and Aunt Aly."

James shook Danny's hand, and the halfa tolerated it for a moment before wrapping the "mature" twelve year old in a one-armed hug.

"You watch out for yourself and Al, okay, buddy?" He said quietly.

"I will," James answered, grinning at his uncle. Danny clapped him on the shoulder and released him, and turned to Albus.

The eleven year old hesitated a split second before running into his uncle's arms, ignoring the snickering of his older brother as he hugged Danny tightly.

"Promise you'll write?" He whispered.

"Promise," Danny replied. "You'll be fine, Al. Don't let James or anyone else get to you, okay? And try to live a little bit, have some fun, get into some trouble. But let me know first before you do anything drastic."

Albus gave him a wobbly smile. "I will," he said quietly.

"That's the ticket," Danny said, smiling back and ruffling up Albus's hair again.

"See you tonight, Uncle Danny!" Lily piped, quickly kissing Danny on the cheek.

"See you tonight, princess," Danny replied, dropping a quick kiss on the top of his niece's head.

"Have a great trip, boys," Aly said, hugging James and Albus. "Have fun, but don't forget about your schoolwork."

"Yes, Aunt Aly," James said, rolling his eyes.

"Okay," whispered Albus.

"Come on, everyone, let's get to the car," Harry said, flicking his wand at the two trunks.

"James, Al, don't forget your owls," Ginny said.

"We'd better get going too, Danny," Aly said. "I don't want to be late."

"Oh yeah," Danny said. "See you guys tonight!" He called.

Harry waved from where he was loading the two trunks into the back of his station wagon, and Ginny and the kids waved from inside the car. Danny turned to his wife and grinned.

"Ready to go, hon?" He asked, transforming into his ghost form. Aly smiled and let him pick her up.

"Just to the house, and then we drive," she said firmly. He grinned at her, iridescent green eyes dancing, and then they phased through the house and into the air.

* * *

"_All of my regret_

_Will wash away somehow._

_But I cannot forget_

_The way I feel right now._

_In these small hours_

_These little wonders_

_These twisting turns of fate._

_These twisting turns of fate…"_

* * *

"So we go to do the scene over, but nobody noticed that the rope was cut halfway through from when Ken had cursed the director, and the second Ken's line, _"Who could ever learn to love a Beast?"_, is over, the entire set falls down, and there's Peggy right behind it, dressed in nothing but her bathrobe and hair curlers, and her face all painted up like a clown!"

The room shook with laughter at Teddy's story, especially since Ron was pounding on the kitchen table. Danny nearly choked on his firewhiskey, and Aly took the glass from him with a frown.

"Remember, you're flying us home later," she told him. "The last thing we need is you to be flying drunk."

"Oh, come on, Aly," Danny whined playfully. "We live across town; it's a two minute flight. Less, if I push myself."

"Do that and you'll be sleeping on the couch for a month," Aly responded. "Remember the last time you went flying drunk?"

Danny went red, as did Teddy, and both looked at the floor. Harry looked at his younger brothers sharply.

"Is there something I should know about?" He asked dryly. Danny and Teddy exchanged glances.

"Nope," replied the nineteen year old Metamorphmagus.

"Not a thing," added the twenty seven year old halfa.

The thirty seven year old wizard sighed. "You two need to grow up," he said, smiling wryly at them.

"And become boring like you?" Teddy asked, looking appalled.

"Not a snowball's chance in hell, Harry," Danny said, grinning.

"Speaking of growing up," Aly interrupted, shooting her husband a withering glare, "you know that appointment Danny and I had to go to this morning?"

"The one that meant you couldn't come to King's Cross with us?" Harry asked.

"What about it?" Ginny asked, looking curious.

Danny grinned and took Aly's hand. "Aly's going to have a baby," he said, gently squeezing her hand.

"Brilliant!" Ron exclaimed.

"Congratulations, you two," Hermione said, grinning.

"When're you due?" Asked Ginny.

"June," Aly answered.

"Names?" Teddy asked.

Aly looked at Danny, who had a strange look on his face. "Honey?" She said quietly.

Danny took a deep breath. "Jack Tucker, or Madeline Samantha," he answered, his voice subdued. Aly squeezed his hand gently, and Harry and Ginny nodded, smiling sympathetically.

"They'd be very proud of you, Danny," Harry said quietly.

"Thanks, Harry," Danny replied, giving his older brother a wobbly smile.

* * *

"_Time falls away,_

_But these small hours_

_These small hours_

_Still remain."_

_(—Rob Thomas, "Little Wonders")_

* * *

The End


End file.
